Golden Boy, as expected, inks Juan Diaz

Golden Boy Promotions sent out a press release to announce the expected signing of former three-body lightweight champion Juan Diaz (33-1, 17 KO).

Diaz is still really the best young fighter in the division, even coming off of a loss to Nate Campbell, and he's a great pickup for Golden Boy. The company thought they had him signed a couple years ago, before manager Willie Savannah backed out of the deal and went with Don King instead. Several wins and big fights and one loss later, and Diaz and Savannah went back to Golden Boy after a nasty split with King.

Diaz joins a roster already strong and boasting Oscar de la Hoya, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton, Bernard Hopkins, Joel Casamayor, Juan Manuel Marquez, Israel Vazquez, and Winky Wright, among many others.

Honestly, the first question that springs to mind is whether Golden Boy might toss Diaz into a fight with Jose Armando Santa Cruz, a Golden Boy fighter and guy who Diaz would greatly trouble with his rugged, always-punching style. And then were he to win, match him right up with Casamayor for the true 135-pound title. Casamayor, at 36, is not going to get any hotter or more marketable than he is right now after outgunning the gunslinger on Saturday night when he knocked out Michael Katsidis. Casamayor says he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao and all these other guys, but looking as sharp as he did (a vintage performance, really), he's going to find it hard to get major stars to fight him, even with Golden Boy backing his play.