By Jose Antonio Soriano, notifight.com

Former super featherweight champion of the World Boxing Council, Gamaliel "Platano" Diaz is ready his upcoming fight on Saturday night in Manchester, England. He will battle for the Intercontinental championship of the World Boxing Organization with hometown favorite Anthony Crolla.

Diaz, a rugged Mexican warrior, has made six trips to foreign soil and won four of those battles.

"I went to Japan four times and won three time and  beat Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero in California. So it does not scare me to fight overseas. All I ask for is to get fair judges and an impartial referee, because look what happened with Dante Jardon," said Diaz.

"It's a good opportunity to get back in the mix on a world level and a new opportunity to reach a world championship, and that's what I intend to accomplish. I came very well prepared, and thanks to God who always kept me training. With my coach, Pepe Morales, we have watched videos of Crolla and we are confident that we will defeat him.

Diaz has knocked out 17 of his 38 victims and suffered 11 defeats and two draws.

 

"I felt very good in my final test of resistance. I boxed six rounds consisting of five minutes each. I'll fight at sea level and it will only be a matter of adapting to the time zone," said Diaz.

 

For Crolla (28-4-1, 11 KOs), it will be his third defense of the WBO championship that he won in June 2013. Crolla has gone unbeaten since October 2012 and has eight years of experience as a professional boxer.