Sean John Inks Unbeaten Felix Diaz As Its Latest Client
Apr 3, 2015 • 10:57 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
Felix Diaz has been forced to embrace patience since entering the pro ranks in 2009 but has begun to make progress in the past year or so. Now heading into the biggest fight of his young career to date, the unbeaten junior welterweight continues to arm himself with some of the most powerful entities in sports and business.
Already aligned with high-powered adviser Al Haymon, Diaz now heads into his April 11 all-Brooklyn showdown with Gabriel Bracero with a new major supporter. BoxingScene.com has learned that entertainment and business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has joined Team Diaz through his Sean John clothing line, agreeing to serve as the primary sponsor for the Olympic Gold medalist.
“This is huge news for my fighter,” acknowledges manager Jose Nuñez, who signed Diaz shortly after his Gold medal run for Dominican Republic in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “This is what we’ve been working on from the beginning. Signing with Haymon and now with Sean John on board, Felix knows that big things are about to happen as long as he does his job in the ring.”
Diaz (16-0, 8KOs) has struggled to find the right balance in his career, leading to relative inactivity considering he’s still regarded as a prospect. Just two fights have come in each of the past four years, including a televised win over Emmanuel Lartey last April.
His upcoming showdown with Bracero (23-1, 4KOs) will air live this weekend as part of Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champion series, with the main portion of the show airing on NBC. The event is headlined by Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson in a 12-round non-title fight, and Andy Lee in a middleweight title defense versus unbeaten former claimant Peter Quillin.
Given present company, Diaz knows he has to make a lasting impression in order to stand out. To his – and his team’s – credit, the fact that sweeping changes were warranted is well recognized in recent moves.
Along with signing with Haymon, Diaz has also changed trainers. Having spent the past couple of fights training in the crowded surroundings of top trainer Robert Garcia’s ever-growing gym in Oxnard, the rising star from Dominican Republic – who lives in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn when not training – has been working with respected chief second Joel Diaz (no relation), who is best known these days for his guidance of Tim Bradley, along with the current rebuilding of Victor Ortiz.
His career promised to pick up on the activity front as Haymon began securing deals with a variety of networks. Putting in the work with his new trainer should produce favorable results, but a major sponsor now in his corner only boosts his confidence that much higher.
“I'm excited to have the support of the Sean John brand,” Diaz admits. “Sean John with their Dream Big campaign encourages dreamers like myself that the sky's the limit.”
Sean John was created by Combs in 1998. Its estimated annual sales clock in at over $500 million.
Combs will reportedly be in attendance for the upcoming PBC event at Barclays Center in support of his newest client, with a formal announcement on Sean John signing Diaz expected to come on Monday ahead of fight week.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
