Interview with Julio Diaz - Part 2

By Julius Streeter

Courtesy of www.rabbitpunchboxing.com

Julius: I know you are a family man yourself but when you're in the ring I have never seen you crying to your wife. From a fighter's perspective, do you think that takes away from Freitas's fight game?

Julio: From my point of view I think that is a sign of weakness or being soft. I mean I got 3 children and a wife but you never see me walking into the ring with my wife. I'm going in there by myself and coming out by myself. If I die in the ring you know that's on my own. I have to focus mentally and just be a man and go fight I don't have time to be all lovey-dovey on the way into the ring. That's the whole point of going to camp; getting away from the family, your wife, and so forth. I see a lot of fighters where the day before a fight they are walking around holding hands like their on their honeymoon. You gotta be focused 100%. Your mind should be on your opponent not on your girl; what she is doing, who she is looking at in the hotel.

I'm still disappointed at what Juan said. You know I hate it when little kids try to hype themselves up and make themselves look good. Juan is still an amateur fighter. He just pitty-pats and looks flashy. When you have an opponent in the ring who is trying to tear you apart the way I would, it's different. You wouldn't look as pretty. When he hits he makes noise like an amateur and sounds good on tv. It's all going to come down someday. He said I need his title but I don't need it. All I need is it to be a name. That's it. See these days, I don't care about titles or rankings. It's about the name. I don't care if I fight for any other titles I just want to beat a name. For example Bernard Hopkins…how many defenses does he have?

Julius: 19

Julio: And who got the biggest purse him or De la Hoya?

Julius: De la Hoya

Julio: Ok because he is prettier. The girls kiss him a lot more and he sells tickets.

Julius: And he got HBO in his right hand pocket.

Julio: Yeah and it shouldn't be like that. That's why boxing is at the point where its so bad. I was at the point of quitting when I had my promotional problems and I had to walk away from Top Rank.

Julius: Yeah I remember you had took a job working construction correct?

Julio: Right

Julius: Bob Arum is known as "Mr. Mexican" so why were you, the most talented Mexican that he had in his stable outside of De la Hoya who he was priming to get you and Mayweather together in a unification fight, why do you think that he turned his back on your after you lost the to Polo?

Julio: That's the same thing I asked him and he could just never give me an answer. That's very frustrating for me because at that time Cotto was at 135 and I told him if he isn't confident in me to give me Cotto. I'll fight Cotto. You can give me chump change and I will fight him wherever. If I lose, I'll quit. Just kick me out and throw me to the curb and I'll retire. Because I don't care how flashy I look on tv, I know what I need to do to be a fighter. I've been around and I know every style. If you're fast, if you're a brawler, no matter what you are, I'll take care of you. It may be a dirty fight, a boring fight, or a sloppy fight but I'll end up winning. If you look at my career record right now, I haven't been beaten. The only one was Juan Valenzuela and that could happen to anybody. I could happen to Roy Jones.

Julius: Exactly cause you really beat Angel Manfredy. You got robbed that night

Julio: Exactly. So you see…who has beaten me? I have dared anybody to fight me. Castillo backed out a week before the fight. I might end up retiring and still not have the opportunity to show myself with the high class fighters on a big event. Why was I not on an undercard of a De la Hoya or Erik Morales on pay per view? I was always on Telefutura and ESPN. You see Cotto only with 3 fights on the undercard of De la Hoya and the whole world knows him. I was 22-0 and I was never on no TV show.

Julius: Yeah and you won your title on HBO Latino and not in front of everyone.

Julio: And I was getting chump change. Now on my defense, they are still offering me chump change that I was getting before. You know, I'm about to throw the title in their face and say the hell with it. I'd rather go back to my construction job where I at least get some respect. I could come home to my family at least with my head up.

Julius: What happened to the fight with Mayweather? He was supposed to fight you instead of Philip N'Dou right?

Julio: You ask Mayweather personally himself. Just ask him what he thinks about me and he will tell you.

Julius: You used to spar with Mayweather right?

Julio: Yeah I have sparred with Mayweather. The kind of style I have, I have no trouble with him. If you see everybody that he has fought, Chavez and all these guys, they just come forward and are easy targets. That's a perfect style for Mayweather. He never fought somebody who fights smart and plays his game. Those are the type of fights I want. It's very frustrating when you want to do something and can't. I've been ready to fight for the past 4 months. Right now I'm not even in the gym no more. I'm just working out lightly but I'm not getting ready for a fight.

I was telling my trainer that I went and won a title and still people aren't paying attention to me. I knocked out an oversized Courtney Burton, and then I go and beat Jauregui who is supposedly a strong body puncher and who beat Castillo twice. I got the title and look what happened? I'm in the same position. How are you going to appreciate a damn belt and think of yourself as a world champion if you don't get treated like one? It's not even about the money; we are just asking to get a fight. The reason we didn't get the Mayweather fight is because Bob Arum didn't want to pay what he was asking for. I was supposed to fight David Santos by now. He cancelled out because the promoters were offering chump change. I understand that and I don't blame him for that. Then they put this guy out there Craig Weber and he cancelled out too! I don't blame him because they were offering him chump change.

Julius: And they were going for a title.

Julio: Yeah and how you going to get $15,000 for a world title? Now Damian Fuller is saying to me that you call yourself a world champion and you back out of a fight that I signed my contract 2 weeks ago and I've been in camp. I never signed a contract. Damian Fuller was just a name that came up. I wasn't even training for Damian.

Julius: Why would you even fight a Damian Fuller?

Julio: Exactly that's what I'm saying. To be honest, I don't blame Damian for what he said. I hope one day he knows that I never signed a contract. I wasn't even training.

Julius: Are you satisfied with your current promoter?

Julio: That's really hard to say.

Julius: Because they got two of the most unsung young champions with you and Guzman in the game. You two are the type of guys who can make noise. Guzman can probably beat every fighter at 122 and 126.

Julio: To be honest, Guzman could probably beat them. I wouldn't doubt it. I give a lot of respect to him. I've seen him train in the gym and I would put everything I have on him beating Pacquiao and Barrera. I'm a big Barrera fan but he would knock out Barrera. Guzman has a lot of promoter problems right now though.

Julius: If the Corrales fight falls through, what are the other options for you?

Julio: I could probably end of with a David Santos or Damian Fuller type fight. I may take that kind of fight just out of frustration cause that's what there. I'll even move up to 140 and fight anyone up there. I just want to fight and show my talent. In the gym I injure everybody. No matter who they bring, I send them home. That gives me a lot of confidence.

Julius: How can Lovemore N'Dou, someone who is getting a lot of press lately for losing in all his big fights, get on HBO and Showtime all the time?

Julio: That's the type of bullshit I'm talking about. Let me give you another example. My brother Antonio beat Cory Spinks and look where Cory Spinks is at. Why isn't my brother Antonio is Cory Spink's place? Now they wanted a rematch and Antonio wanted a fight and who did they get? They brought Miguel Angel Gonzales out of retirement. To be honest, I'm pretty sure Cory Spinks would beat my brother now but why not give him the opportunity? Antonio beat Micky Ward too! Micky Ward goes on to fight Gatti because they both give wars. My brother is the kind of warrior like Gatti. It's just a shame how you end up. I see my brother and I feel bad for him because I see the way that they were treated and now they are done. They took all the humiliation and all the punishment that the sport has to give you. They were kicked to the curb every time. They were laughed at and treated bad.

Julius: Your brother did get a shot at Shane Mosley though.

Julio: Yeah that's the only shot that they gave him. That's not a shot. I mean come on Mosley at that time…that's not a chance to win. Take a look at the road that Juan Diaz and Cotto are taking. Look at the weight difference that Cotto has over his opponents. Pinto is a great fighter. He would beat Cotto any day. It's just a size and weight difference that's what made the difference. Cotto is going to make it because he don't really have to do much. The promoters are going to set it up for him nice.

Julius: Yeah they are going to set it up for him to take over Trinidad's spot when he is finished.

Julio: Exactly…try to put Kostya Tszyu with Cotto…they won't. When the top fighters get older and start to come down in their careers then they will put him in there just for the name. Let's be real…that's how it works.

Julius: Would you be willing to move up to 140 and fight guys like Vivian Harris, Ricky Hatton, and Cotto?

Julio: I don't know because if I can't do anything at 135 when I'm a world champion and without getting an opportunity, what makes you think I'm going to do anything at 140 and I won't be a champion there? I don't think I will ever reach that level. At 135 I'm going to do what I'm going to do and if not, I think that will be the end of Julio Diaz.

Julius: I think that Corrales is the right fight for you now because he is a bigger name than Castillo and if you would be able to beat him that would open the doors up for bigger fights.

Julio: Yeah definitely and it don't even have to be someone with a title. I would love to fight Morales and Casamayor also. Anybody that I know who would move me a step further.

Julius: there anything in closing that you would like to say to the fans out there?

Julio: If I'm not being active, it's not on me. I'm ready to go and willing to fight anyone out there. I'm willing to put everything I've worked for on the line. I guarantee that I will lay any champion out there on his back. I'm too strong as a lightweight.

I would like to thank Julio Diaz for taking the time out to chat with me and I hope that he gets the Corrales fight soon.