Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz has thrilled fight fans for years with his aggressive style, and willingness to take on any opponent. Only 25 years old, Juan Diaz has already become a premier fighter in the boxing world. Diaz is very slick and busy, and using his strategy is able to punish his opponents and gain the recognition this young fighter deserves.
Diaz made his professional debut at the age of 16 in June of 2000 with a first round TKO victory over Rafael Ortiz. “Baby Bull” went on gain a 6-0 record with 5 KO’s in 2000, and added seven more wins to the ledger in 2001. One of the wins was against Ubaldo Hernandez, who was a quite seasoned opponent. This was the spark that Diaz took in the ring as he went on a 10-0 tear during the years of 2000-2003.
Juan Diaz: The Clearing
In July of 2004, Diaz defeated Lakva Sim for the WBA Lightweight title by unanimous decision. Juan Diaz went on to defend his title a total of seven more times. In November of 2006 Juan stepped into the ring against Jose Miguel Cotto (Miguel Cotto‘s brother). Diaz took the win by unanimous decision, and went on to defend his title for the fifth time against Fernando Angulo. Juan Diaz came out victorious, and continued to look for bigger game.
Baby Bull stepped into the ring for a unification bout against Acelino Ferias on April 28, 2007. Juan controlled the fight by putting Freitas on the defensive and by landing several stellar combinations. Acelino Freitas forfeited the fight before the beginning of the ninth round; unifying the WBO and WBA Lightweight championship titles in favor of Diaz.
Juan Diaz continued his quest for unification in October of 2007, stepping in to face Julio Diaz for his IBF Lightweight title. Baby Bull controlled the fight, setting the pace throughout the beginning and late rounds. Juan eventually overwhelmed and stopped Julio Diaz in round nine, and captured the IBF Lightweight title. With Juan Diaz now holding the WBA, WBO and IBF Lightweight titles, he was recognized as the best lightweight in the world and was set to line up a very tough opponent. The opponent was Nate Campbell.
Close but no cigar
In a very exciting match both fighters exchanged several combinations that had both fighters in the game. Campbell scored a cut over Diaz’s left eye in round five, and was deducted a point in round six for an alleged head butt. Nate Campbell ended up with the split decision (despite the close scorecards, Diaz suffered a beating during the fight) and the WBA, WBO and IBF Lightweight titles. This ended Juan Diaz’s undefeated streak of thirty-three wins.
After shaking the split decision loss against Nate Campbell; Juan Diaz jumped back into the ring against Australian Michael Katsidis for the IBO Lightweight title. Diaz won the bout by a split decision, and set up his big payday against one of the best in boxing.
Juan Diaz vs Juan Manuel Marquez
Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez stepped into the ring on February 28, 2009. In the opening rounds Diaz pushed Marquez around, frequently pinning Marquez against the ropes. Juan Diaz pursued and continued to stagger Marquez with big left hands to the head. Diaz appeared to be winning the fight, although Marquez was coming on strong. In the eighth round Diaz was cut over his eye by a Marquez right cross. At the start of the ninth round Marquez controlled the fight as he landed the more accurate cleaner shots and his punching power proved to be too much for Diaz. Diaz was knocked down twice in the ninth round, bringing an end to a terrific fight.
The Future of Juan Diaz
This year in August, Juan Diaz is set to face Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi. This fight will be an interesting matchup with conflicting styles. Of course nothing is final until the two step into the ring. As the future goes, don’t expect Baby Bull Diaz to take any time off. Juan Diaz is a fighter, and he will continue to fight until he gets his titles back in his rightful hands.
