On December 20, ring announcer David Diamante was critically injured in a motorcycle accident. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to regain a sense of normalcy in his life. This Saturday - March 5 - he will return to the ring for Matchroom Boxing's fight card on DAZN headlined by Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez vs Julio Cesar Martinez - which takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. (photo by Mark Robinson)

BoxingScene.com asked Diamante for some thoughts on this recent turn in his life and he shared the following:

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Life teaches you to roll with punches. 

Learning how to walk again and recovering from the most horrific accident I've experienced in my life is not what I thought I'd be dealing with weeks after hitting the milestone of my fiftieth birthday. The end of the year was going to be a celebratory time with friends and family. But "life" had other plans for me. 

On December 20, 2021, my life changed. I was critically injured in a motorcycle accident.

Like fighters, motorcyclists hear stories. Stories of brothers being thrown from a motorcycle, paralyzed or worse. I know the risks. I've lost friends and know people who have been paralyzed for life. Suddenly, I found myself in a similar circumstance. 

I slid and slammed into a parked van, cracking my body in half. I was in critical condition. My spine was fractured in four places and I suffered multiple broken ribs in addition to a severe knee injury. I've been injured before. But this was different. I've lived an incredibly full life with few regrets. There aren't many things I fear in life. But being paralyzed and unable to care for myself is one of them.

When people ask me now how I'm doing, I say I'm okay. The pain is always there. Doing simple things that people take for granted like putting on my socks, sitting in a chair, picking things up off the floor, or carrying a bag of groceries is suddenly very challenging. I took myself off social media because my condition was extraordinarily painful. And more important, I needed to focus fully on the healing process during this critical time of recovery. I promised myself that I would recover from this injury faster than anyone ever had. And I meant it.

Every gift, every letter, every phone call and text that I've received offering love and encouragement has been meaningful to me. I'm truly grateful for all of them. My heart is filled with gratitude. 

I'm still learning my new normal. I'm recovering and growing in the process. Learning how to walk again despite the intense pain has been one of the most significant accomplishments of my life.

I'm thrilled to share with you the news that I'll be entering the ring again on March 5 to announce the world championship fight in San Diego. Going through the ropes - as physically challenging as it will be - will mean more to me than you can imagine.

I love you all . . . From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Thomas Hauser's email address is thomashauserwriter@gmail.com. His most recent book – Broken Dreams: Another Year Inside Boxing – was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In 2004, the Boxing Writers Association of America honored Hauser with the Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence in boxing journalism. In 2019, he was selected for boxing's highest honor - induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.