Saturday, August 22, 2009

A smarter Diaz vs. Malignaggi

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It's an all-too-familiar story, really.

A young boxer goes from prodigy to prospect, from prospect to contender, from contender to champion.

When his career is over, however, whether or not he has fulfilled his aspirations in the ring, he often ends up going somewhere else: From paycheck to paycheck. Or worse, penniless and out on the street.

Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz is not going out like that.

Diaz (34-2, 17 KOs), who takes on Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi (26-2, 5 KOs) Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston (HBO, 9:45 ET), has taken steps to ensure he doesn't end up another cautionary tale in a sport littered with them.

A recent college graduate — a rarity in his line of work — the Houston resident has a plan he hopes will allow him to remain relevant in the ring for many years to come while at the same time ensure his prosperity outside of it. That plan entails him paying close attention to his past, present, and future, all of which will be in play Saturday night when he makes his debut at 140 pounds against the former IBF champion Malignaggi.

"I'm ready, I'm excited, and I can't wait," said Diaz during a break from training. "It's been a long training camp, I can tell you that."

If Diaz is to prevail on Saturday, he must first confront his past. Specifically, his defeat in February at the hands of former champion Juan Manuel Marquez, who took Diaz's WBA and IBF lightweight titles by force via ninth-round TKO before vacating them to move up for a big-money fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September.

In reviewing his performance against Marquez, the 25-year-old Diaz (he turns 26 in September) realized he made a critical error in that fight, failing to give the man who twice went toe-to-toe with reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao his due as a puncher.

Read the rest of the story here...

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