Fathers Day Makes Training Days Better for Diaz and Marquez
Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz are training hard for their rematch, Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch,” but it is a day like Father’s Day, which both fighters will celebrate with their children this Sunday, that makes it all worth it. The world championship bout is scheduled for Saturday, July 31 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View®.
Marquez has three children ages three to twelve and Diaz has a three-year-old son, so both fighters have grown accustom to balancing boxing and family, staying dedicated to their children while staying dedicated to their craft.
Both “working” dads cite their lessons learned as fathers and share some of their own fathering tips.
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ, Current Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO World Lightweight Champion
“My advice is that you remain dedicated to your work and your children. I know that I won’t see them all of the time, but one should always focus on what they do without forgetting about their children.
“I have to balance my family and my time in the gym. Unfortunately, when I’m in training, it is 70 percent in the gym and 30 percent for my children. As a professional boxer, it happens like this.
“My father always gave me good tips that I try to remember, especially since he was a fighter too. He says ‘Take care of yourself as an athlete and always keep your feet on the ground, and when you get to be a champion, you have to try to remain consistent in the ring.’ I try to always keep that in mind and teach it to my children.
“I come from a big family, and I know that my parents had to suffer and live through a lot in order for me to experience good things in life. Overall, being close to your family is the most important thing, and I have enjoyed seeing my own family grow.”
JUAN DIAZ, Former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion
“It is difficult to balance a career and fatherhood at times. Thankfully I have my family who has been really supportive and helpful with everything.
“The best advice is to try and spend as much time with your children as possible. Sometimes people get caught up in accomplishing their own goals, but we need to remember to make our children our number one priority. You should never be too busy to play with your kids.
“I try to be with my son 99 percent of the time. I like to do small things with him. For example, we brush our teeth together at night. I want to lead him in the right direction as a young kid so that he will grow up and learn to have respect for other people.
“I’m trying to do the best that I can to accomplish my dreams and goals so that when my son gets older I can tell him, ‘This is what I set out to do when I was your age’ and for him to see what I was able to do in my life so he will want to follow in my footsteps.”
