In a showdown between two recently-dethroned world titleholders, Juan “The Baby Bull” Diaz faces Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi of Brooklyn at the Toyota Center Saturday. The bout, staged by Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, will be aired on HBO.
Diaz, a former 135-pound lightweight titlist, and Malignaggi, who previously held the WBO 140-pound junior welterweight title, will meet at a catch weight of 138½ pounds. Both are coming off knockout losses. Diaz, 34-2 (17 KOs), was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez at the Toyota Center in February, while Malignaggi, 26-2 (5 KOs), was stopped by Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas last November.
Both fighters need an impressive victory to rejuvenate their careers and launch themselves back on to the championship scene.
“This fight is a must win, but I don't think it will make me a break me,” Diaz said. “By winning, it'll establish me and put me right back up there for bigger fights, but if I lose, it's just another loss.”
Despite losing two of his last three bouts, Diaz, 25, is confident that he will remain a top draw at the box office because his of all-action style and unyielding commitment. He did not lose any fans after his knockout loss at the Toyota Center, he said.
“Even though I didn't win my last fight, (the fans) still left there very happy because I gave it 100 percent and I put up the best effort that I could,” Diaz said.
Diaz and Malignaggi, 28, could not be more diametrically polar style-wise. While the Texan is a relentless pressure fighter who sets an exhausting pace, the New Yorker is a smooth, elusive technician who outmaneuvers rather than overpowers his opponents.
“I'm going in there and do what I do which is work,” Diaz said. “I don't care what Malignaggi's going to do. He can move and be slick but I think the pressure is going to be the key to the victory.”
Malignaggi's two previous conquerors, Hatton and WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto, have written the blueprint on how to defeat him, Diaz said. The proven way to defeat Malignaggi, Diaz said, is simply to manhandle him.
“He‘s a very slick fighter and he said he's going to outbox me and outpunch me but the two fights he lost have been against pressure fighter guys,” Diaz said. “So what does that mean? That means he can't handle the pressure.”
Although Diaz is listed as a slight favorite by most Las Vegas odds makers, Malignaggi should not be underestimated, said Diaz' trainer Ronnie Shields.
“Paul Malignaggi is a two time champion of the world,” Shields said. “He's one of the best boxers out there. We realize that this is another step up for Juan coming off that loss, but this is one fight that he has to take. This fight is important for him to get back in the mix with everyone else.”
While pressure is the main component of Diaz' game plan, it must be applied strategically and purposefully against a fighter who has built a successful career of fending off rabid, onrushing opponents, Shields said.
“We're practicing this every day – cutting him off and throwing punches,” Shields said. “It's easy to just cut a man off, but to hit him and make him do the things that you want him to do, that's a different story.”
Diaz and Malignaggi are sons of blue collar Mexican and Italian immigrants respectively, but that's where their similarities outside the ring end. Diaz' demeanor has always been low key, polite and humble. Malignaggi, on the other hand, has a reputation for being flashy, flamboyant and outspoken to the point of trash talking in his distinctly Brooklyn accent in front of the cameras.
“He's going to go home with his mouth closed after August 22,” Diaz said.
With three and a half pounds less to shed for this fight, making weight hasn't been as torturous as usual for Diaz, a confessed junk food junkie. It doesn't mean he can go crazy at the buffet table but he has enjoyed a degree of culinary normalcy during training camp.
“I can actually eat a real meal at night,” Diaz said. “I don't have to eat cereal or salad or fruit. Before, I had to be on a strict diet with no sweets.”
It will also be Diaz' first fight since graduating from the University of Houston with a degree in government, so he no longer has to rush off to campus after grueling workouts.
“I don't have to go to school and feel tired,” Diaz said. “Now the only problem I have is being bored at home.”
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