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Diaz on the verge of inking with Golden Boy?
Editor: Things didn't go as planned against Nate Cambell, congratulations on a championship effort. Can you give us some thoughts on your performance?
Juan Diaz: "Thank you. Saturday night was just not my night. What can I say, it was Nate Cambell's night. I've got a lot of things going through my mind. I couldn't say it was my best endeavor, or that I was at the peak of my mental game, but either way it goes, Nate Cambell showed great performance. It was just his night."
Editor: Was the situation that was going on days before the fight with King issuing releases about not wanting to deal with you, and Fred Levin not wanting to deal with you, over Willie Savannah being in the middle? How did you feel about that going on days before your fight, and did it affect you at all?
Juan Diaz: At some point, maybe it didn't affect me visually, it was always in the back of my mind with all of the arguing and stuff. There were a lot of fishy things going on, as far as the fight was concerned. I was requesting a drug test, they never did it. At some point, for a championship fight, they're supposed to do that. Not at any point did they come to give me a drug test, or Nate. They let us use whatever gloves we wanted to use, we didn't agree on a specific pair of gloves. There were a lot of little, fishy things that happened. Don King was standing up in the ninth round screaming, "The new champion, the new champion!" A lot of things that kind of went in my head and threw me off of my game plan.
Editor: Do you have any hard feelings or bitter feelings toward King for some of the antics that he pulled days before the fight, and obviously now you're telling me during the fight?
JD: No, he's a business, you can't argue with him. He's been the best promoter in boxing for many years, it's actually the status quo of boxing. You can't blame him for things he does, he's on top for a reson. I know it's a business, so there's nothing that I could personally do. I don't hate anybody for that, he's just like anybody else trying to do what he does best.
Editor: Was there anything about Campbell that surprised you?
JD: That he came straight at me. I thought that he was going to try to box me, try to use some boxing skills. He came straight at me, like a true warrior.
Editor: The cut that opened above the eye, obviously in the replay, it showed that it was the result of a punch. At first, did you think that the cut came from a punch until you saw it on replay? How much did the cut bother you and affect what you were trying to do in there?
JD: The first cut that was on the side of my eyebrow, didn't really bother me. The one right above my eyebrow, that one, all the blood that was coming down affected my vision. I couldn't really see. Then, when my eye started getting swollen, that was even more of a problem. It really threw me off of my game plan, that's something that has never happened to me. Last time I remember that happening to me, was my toughest fight, I was about 17 or 18 years old. To this day, believe it or not, it is my toughest fight. I got knocked down in the 2nd round, and I don't remember what happened after that. Obviously, I wouldn't remember the blood going all in my eye then, but this time I was aware of everything that was going on. There was blood, and then my eye closed, it affected me.
Editor: Obviously, now your goal is to get the title back around your waist. With that being said, if Campbell's still the champion when you again challenge for the title, what would you have to do differently to beat him in a rematch?
JD: I see myself recapturing my titles at the end of the year. Nate Campbell, it was his night, but if he's a true champion, like all true champions, he's got to give me the rematch. Even though it was a mandatory fight, and there is no rematch clause, if he is a true champion, then he will give me the rematch and things will be a lot more different than they were on Saturday night.
Editor: You're known as a straight-forward kind of puncher, who throws a lot of volume punches. That's what you were doing on Saturday night. Nate basically fought the kind of fight you like to fight, and seemed to outwork you and take you out of your game, fighting that kind of fight. Would you still be the same Juan Diaz we've come to love against him in a rematch, or would you try to alter your gameplan to be successful?
JD: I have to really sit down and study the tape with my trainer, and really see what will work best. Really sit down and see what my mistakes were, and I have to just go from there. I can't tell you exactly right now what I would do, wheter I would box him or go straight-forward again, and out-hustle him this time. It's a thing that I really have to go back and strategize what would be the best thing to do against him.
Editor: How is your cut doing, and how long do you anticipate it will keep you out of action?
JD: The good thing about it is that I'm 24 years old. As long as I can heal properly, and the doctor gives his okay, I plan to step in the ring in another three or four months. I'm young enough right now where I don't want to stay away for a long time. I'm going to wait a week or two, let everything heal real good, and get back in the gym. Start swimming, and lifting weights, like I've always done.
Editor: You're a promotional fee agent. Even though things didn't go your way, have the promoters been blowing up your phone, showing interest?
JD: Definitely, a couple of promoters have been interested in me for a while now. A couple of them have told me that this loss doesn't mean anything to them. That I'm still worth the same to them and that they still want to work with me. I agree with them, and when I sit down and think about it...
Editor: By them, do you mean Golden Boy?
JD: Yes, they would be one. There are a few others that are around there too. You can't go your whole life undefeated, you win and you lose. Whoever can get back up from the loss, and continue to be successful, that's a true champion. That's exactly what I'm going to do.
Editor: Closing thoughts for the fans.
JD: I wanted to tell them thank you for your support on Saturday night. It wasn't a good night for me and all my fans, but expect for me to come back strong, like always, in about three to four months. Expect for me to be champion again by the end of this year.
Editor: Things didn't go as planned against Nate Cambell, congratulations on a championship effort. Can you give us some thoughts on your performance?
Juan Diaz: "Thank you. Saturday night was just not my night. What can I say, it was Nate Cambell's night. I've got a lot of things going through my mind. I couldn't say it was my best endeavor, or that I was at the peak of my mental game, but either way it goes, Nate Cambell showed great performance. It was just his night."
Editor: Was the situation that was going on days before the fight with King issuing releases about not wanting to deal with you, and Fred Levin not wanting to deal with you, over Willie Savannah being in the middle? How did you feel about that going on days before your fight, and did it affect you at all?
Juan Diaz: At some point, maybe it didn't affect me visually, it was always in the back of my mind with all of the arguing and stuff. There were a lot of fishy things going on, as far as the fight was concerned. I was requesting a drug test, they never did it. At some point, for a championship fight, they're supposed to do that. Not at any point did they come to give me a drug test, or Nate. They let us use whatever gloves we wanted to use, we didn't agree on a specific pair of gloves. There were a lot of little, fishy things that happened. Don King was standing up in the ninth round screaming, "The new champion, the new champion!" A lot of things that kind of went in my head and threw me off of my game plan.
Editor: Do you have any hard feelings or bitter feelings toward King for some of the antics that he pulled days before the fight, and obviously now you're telling me during the fight?
JD: No, he's a business, you can't argue with him. He's been the best promoter in boxing for many years, it's actually the status quo of boxing. You can't blame him for things he does, he's on top for a reson. I know it's a business, so there's nothing that I could personally do. I don't hate anybody for that, he's just like anybody else trying to do what he does best.
Editor: Was there anything about Campbell that surprised you?
JD: That he came straight at me. I thought that he was going to try to box me, try to use some boxing skills. He came straight at me, like a true warrior.
Editor: The cut that opened above the eye, obviously in the replay, it showed that it was the result of a punch. At first, did you think that the cut came from a punch until you saw it on replay? How much did the cut bother you and affect what you were trying to do in there?
JD: The first cut that was on the side of my eyebrow, didn't really bother me. The one right above my eyebrow, that one, all the blood that was coming down affected my vision. I couldn't really see. Then, when my eye started getting swollen, that was even more of a problem. It really threw me off of my game plan, that's something that has never happened to me. Last time I remember that happening to me, was my toughest fight, I was about 17 or 18 years old. To this day, believe it or not, it is my toughest fight. I got knocked down in the 2nd round, and I don't remember what happened after that. Obviously, I wouldn't remember the blood going all in my eye then, but this time I was aware of everything that was going on. There was blood, and then my eye closed, it affected me.
Editor: Obviously, now your goal is to get the title back around your waist. With that being said, if Campbell's still the champion when you again challenge for the title, what would you have to do differently to beat him in a rematch?
JD: I see myself recapturing my titles at the end of the year. Nate Campbell, it was his night, but if he's a true champion, like all true champions, he's got to give me the rematch. Even though it was a mandatory fight, and there is no rematch clause, if he is a true champion, then he will give me the rematch and things will be a lot more different than they were on Saturday night.
Editor: You're known as a straight-forward kind of puncher, who throws a lot of volume punches. That's what you were doing on Saturday night. Nate basically fought the kind of fight you like to fight, and seemed to outwork you and take you out of your game, fighting that kind of fight. Would you still be the same Juan Diaz we've come to love against him in a rematch, or would you try to alter your gameplan to be successful?
JD: I have to really sit down and study the tape with my trainer, and really see what will work best. Really sit down and see what my mistakes were, and I have to just go from there. I can't tell you exactly right now what I would do, wheter I would box him or go straight-forward again, and out-hustle him this time. It's a thing that I really have to go back and strategize what would be the best thing to do against him.
Editor: How is your cut doing, and how long do you anticipate it will keep you out of action?
JD: The good thing about it is that I'm 24 years old. As long as I can heal properly, and the doctor gives his okay, I plan to step in the ring in another three or four months. I'm young enough right now where I don't want to stay away for a long time. I'm going to wait a week or two, let everything heal real good, and get back in the gym. Start swimming, and lifting weights, like I've always done.
Editor: You're a promotional fee agent. Even though things didn't go your way, have the promoters been blowing up your phone, showing interest?
JD: Definitely, a couple of promoters have been interested in me for a while now. A couple of them have told me that this loss doesn't mean anything to them. That I'm still worth the same to them and that they still want to work with me. I agree with them, and when I sit down and think about it...
Editor: By them, do you mean Golden Boy?
JD: Yes, they would be one. There are a few others that are around there too. You can't go your whole life undefeated, you win and you lose. Whoever can get back up from the loss, and continue to be successful, that's a true champion. That's exactly what I'm going to do.
Editor: Closing thoughts for the fans.
JD: I wanted to tell them thank you for your support on Saturday night. It wasn't a good night for me and all my fans, but expect for me to come back strong, like always, in about three to four months. Expect for me to be champion again by the end of this year.
. Screaming "And New Lightweight champion" in the 9th round, not to mention his sneaky **** he pulled before the fight.
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