By Cliff Rold

Returning to the ring for the first time since being stopped by buzzsaw Juan Diaz in October 2007, former Lightweight titlist Julio Diaz (35-4, 26 KO) of Coachella, California stopped undefeated 30-year old David Torres (20-1, 13 KO) of Othello, Washington in five violently one-sided rounds at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hill, California on Wednesday night.  It was the third time in four career opportunities where Diaz has erased the “0” from an opponent’s record.

Both men came in just above the Lightweight limit of 135 lbs., Diaz at 139 ¼ and Torres at 136.

After a pitched exchange of jabs to begin, Torres would land the first major work of the bout with a left hook-straight right combo that landed flush.  Diaz shook it off, a sign of things to come.  While continuing to pressure, Torres wouldn’t have much success as the much faster Diaz began snapping his jab in multiple and mixing in some whipping body shots.

Clearly feeling comfortable, Diaz continued to jab and circle in the second, mixing in some looks from a southpaw stance.  Diaz’s comfort would grow further in the third.  A leaping lead left hook stunned Torres, sending him reeling towards and almost through the ring ropes.  The referee stepped in to issue a standing eight count on the grounds that only the ropes kept Torres on his feet.  While Diaz didn’t go out of his way to try and finish his man right away, the punishment was not done.  A nasty uppercut in the closing seconds of the round again sent Torres to the ropes with Diaz following closely and unleashing a barrage of shots.  The ring official looked on carefully, electing not to stop the action or issue another count as the bell clanged to complete the frame. 

Torres continued to apply himself, but to ill affect for his own health.  Diaz, like the proven veteran he is, allowed the fight to unfold organically in the fourth, not looking for the knockout but keeping his hands moving.  Torres’ right eye began to swell from the stream of jabs and laser crosses and was made worse in the fifth.  Diaz, landing at will, poked and slashed away at the head and body of Torres up to the moment when Torres slipped near mid-ring after easting yet another combination.  As he rose, the referee took a look at the swelling and summoned the ring doctor for a look.  The look didn’t last long, and Torres was saved further punishment at officially 1:25 of the fifth.

The win keeps Diaz, still only 28 years old, in position to eventually challenge for a third run with the IBF Lightweight belt he has held twice previously.  Diaz is currently rated #6 by that organization.

On the undercard, 29-year old Super Middleweight Henry “Sugar Poo” Buchanan (17-1, 12 KO) of Capitol Heights, Maryland made it three wins in a row since his first loss and legal troubles kept him out of the ring for a year between 2006 and 2007 by stopping 29-year old journeyman Brian Norman (16-8, 4 KO) of Decatur, Georgia in nine rounds.  Both men weighed in at the division limit of 168 lbs. for the rematch of a bout that ended in a September 2004 knockout win in Buchanan’s fifth professional fight. 

Buchanan and Norman waged a close, fast paced chess match until Buchanan broke through late in the third with a stunning right hand.  The bell rang before he could truly test the damage level, setting the stage for a thrilling fourth.  At center ring, Buchanan continued to score not only with his right but also a follow-up left hook in multiple combinations only to have Norman fire back with wider shots to cheers from the crowd.

With one of the bunnies screaming for a knockout, Buchanan appeared close to at least a knockdown in the waning seconds of the fifth.  Yet another right hand backed Norman into the ropes and an uppercut underneath yanked his head upwards, but the game journeyman would not fall.  In the sixth, Buchanan’s rolling defense and right hand continued to carry the fight but Norman persevered, firing the jab and still tossing his own right.

That perseverance provided a glimmer of hope in the middle of the seventh when a right hook forced Buchanan to take a step back, but then it was back to the sliding and shooting for Buchanan.  Norman would not get another big chance.  Buchanan’s right hand, sneaky left to the body, and elusiveness took their toll on Norman and what had been a game effort to win turned into an effort to reach the final bell.  

That would be an unrealistic pursuit.  In the ninth, a left hook to the body, followed by a final picturesque right uppercut, forced Norman sideways and then twisting face first into the ropes on his knees.  The referee did not bother to make a count, stopping the fight at 1:02 of the ninth round. 

Buchanan’s sole loss came at the hands of former French Olympian Jean Paul Mendy in the second round of the Gary Shaw-promoted ShoBox Super Middleweight tournament.  No word on whether victory garnered the appropriately nicknamed Sugar Poo a trip to the Hefner grotto.
 
Other Televised Action

Super Middleweights: Jason Peterson (2-0, 1 KO) W UD4 Andy Zerger (0-4)
Middleweights: Alejandro Bogarin (8-5-3, 2 KO) W SD4 Joel Mills (4-3-1, 1 KO)

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com