Interview Dated January 2005

     Jose Diaz just celebrated his 19th birthday, while in training for his sixth professional fight. Like his older brother, 21-year-old W.B.A. Lightweight Champion Juan Diaz, Jose is a very likeable young man. Quick with a smile, a conversation with him does nothing to reveal his savage nature in the ring. I spoke with "Pit Bull" after he finished a workout last week at the Savannah Boxing Club. He fights at Reliant Center on the 21st of this month.
 

HBS - Obviously you got started boxing with your brother or because of your brother. Tell us a little bit about how that all happened for you.
JD - Actually it wasn't really my brother, it was my dad. He gbot my brother into karate because he couldn't find a boxing gym. So he found a karate gym so he got him doing that and then it just happened that my mom and dad and me were together and we passed by Fiesta by South Post Oak where Savanna used to be. We were going to Fiesta. My dad saw the boxing gym, fell in love with it, he took us there right away and when we got there to sign up they wouldn't take me because I was so little. I was probably about 40 pounds, and then my dad was like, "Nah, it ain't for him, I got a big boy. He's 108 pounds, eight years old". So Savannah said "Yeah, bring him over here, we would love to train him", and my brother got there. I would say a half a year later I got started as well and ever since then we've been doing it.
HBS - How old were you then when you first went into a gym to train?
JD - Five-and-a-half.
HBS - Your brother gave me this great story about how when he first when in and how he was kind of fat. He got punched in the stomach and started crying. Did you have a similar negative experience the first time?
JD - Except mine was a little bit funnier because my dad was there the first time I boxed and when I was little I used to talk a lot. I would be like, "I'm going to knock this guy out", and I went in and we went at it and the first guy, we were sparring, he was older than me, a little bit bigger, so he beat me up and of course my dad was like, "Man, you got beat up!" I told him, "Man, why don't you get your butt in the ring and get beat up?!" Because I used to talk a lot and ever since then he never told me nothing else no more. But it was was really funny. My mom still talks about that to this day.
HBS - Tell us a little bit about how you progressed in your amateur career.
JD - My amateur career, it wasn't all that great. I only won three national tournaments but I would always make it to the finals and I would always get beat there so I don't really have a lot to show but I still got three national titles and it was a real fun experience.
HBS - I think a lot of people would probably settle for three national titles. What was your record if you can recall it?
JD - It was like 115 with 15 losses.
HBS - That's pretty respectable. So you're 18 right now?
JD - I turn 19 this Friday.
HBS - You turned pro you were 18 years old just last year?
JD - Last April.
HBS - You've had five fights in pretty quick succession. Tell us how you've grown as a fighter through those five fights.
JD - I think I learned a lot because I was so used to the amateur style and now I'm progressing to a professional level so it's a lot different. I've got to be a lot more calm. I always try to go in there and kill the person when I'm supposed to try to box them so I'm learning a lot.
HBS - You worked out with a couple of different guys today. Tell us about what if anything in particular you're working on right now?
JD - Trying to calm down and not trying to kill everybody. That's my main goal right now, working on my jab.
HBS - Do you have any idea who you're fighting on the 21st?
JD - No sir. Not until we step onto the scale. That's the time I'm going to know who I'm going to fight.
HBS - Is that the way it usually is for you?
JD - Yes sir. At the beginning that's how it is for everybody.
HBS - I guess it's like in the amateurs, you never really know so that probably doesn't bother you. Have you ever walked up and seen a guy and thought whoa, maybe this guy's a little tougher looking than I expected?
JD - No sir. I haven't felt like that. Every fight is a different challenge and that's the way I look at it.
HBS - I guess your brother is the youngest currently reigning world champion and I'm sure you're close to him but it could kind of be seen as a double edged sword. You're proud of your brother encouraged by his success but maybe you might feel like you'll always be a little bit in his shadow. What kind of affect does that have on you?
JD - It's not really an effect. It's an advantage for me, that's the way I look at it because every guy I fight they know my brother's the world champion. They've seen him fight and they've seen how hard he works so in their head they're thinking "The little brother, he works as hard", so it's a big advantage for me.
HBS - Tell us a little about where you would like to be in a couple of years or how you envision your career advancing.
JD - I'm not really trying to look that far ahead. I'm just taking each fight a step at a time but hopefully everything my brother has done I would like to accomplish it as well.