Juan Diaz Aborts Comeback, Pulls Out of July 29 Fight

by Scott Christ on Jun 7, 2011 5:10 PM EDT in Boxing News Analysis

Juan Diaz will forget about boxing for now, and head to law school. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Former lightweight titlist Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz has pulled out of his scheduled July 29 fight on Friday Night Fights, according to Dan Rafael. The 27-year-old Diaz will instead finally go to law school, and this likely signals the end of his boxing carer.

Diaz (35-4, 17 KO) last fought in July 2010, losing a disappointing rematch to Juan Manuel Marquez. Over his 10-year career, the Houston native provided many exciting fights with his attacking, high energy style, but in the end his lack of punching power and some natural wear and tear hurt him in some of his biggest fights. If he is indeed retired now, Diaz goes out having lost four of his last six, but all of those fights were against top contenders or legit champions.

No word on whether or not the scheduled show at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas will still move forward, but there would still be a fight between ancient Joel Casamayor (38-5-1, 22 KO) and Jorge Luis Teron (25-2-1, 17 KO). With a decent second fight, that's still not an awful FNF or anything.

This is no surprise, really. In interviews, Diaz wasn't sounding particularly sure of his decision to pick boxing over law school, so he's simply had second thoughts. Best of luck to him, and I mean this in a nice way: I hope we don't see him back in the ring when he's 31.

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Good luck to Diaz

I’m glad to see him go to Law school, good for him. Boxing definitely doesn’t last forever.

by lightaxe on Jun 7, 2011 5:19 PM EDT reply actions

I’m glad. Where was he going to go now with boxing? What’s the next, and the next fight for him? This is a much smarter move.

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939

by BoxAnne on Jun 7, 2011 5:24 PM EDT reply actions

TV?

Any chance Diaz goes into the TV business and becomes a commenter? He’d be better than Roy Jones Jr at this point.

by Bonkers on Jun 7, 2011 7:08 PM EDT reply actions

I hope i dont sound racist here but

Baby bull sounds too much like a dumbass tex-mex to be a commentator. I mean i probably sound the same way too, but diaz sounds like all the idiots i went to high school with who barely graduated. Obv he’s more intelligent than that, but we dont have the best accents

I hate the Texans

by battle axe of doom on Jun 7, 2011 8:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

He sounds fine

You probably do too.

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939

by BoxAnne on Jun 7, 2011 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad to see a young man

making a good decision.

by Don From Prov on Jun 7, 2011 9:00 PM EDT reply actions

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Law School

Refused the derferral. If I’d known the school was in New England, esp. Mass., I could have told him that would happen. Mass. has absolutely zero tolerance for boxing if it competes with law school, and not much tolerance for boxing generally. He’s going to live in the Northeast, that should be news to him in some ways.

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939

by BoxAnne on Jun 8, 2011 12:29 AM EDT reply actions

Brick

tell me if I’m wrong here, but this is an unaccredited school, right? Diaz cannot get a bar card out of this school, right?

"You can't search me without probable cause Or that proper ammunition they call reasonable suspicion Listen while I bring friction to your whole jurisdiction" - Fugees

by lcollins1 on Jun 8, 2011 1:55 AM EDT reply actions

oh. it appears that he can practice in Mass with that degree and perhaps get licensed elsewhere through state specific procedures.

I’m surprised Houston didn’t let him in.

"You can't search me without probable cause Or that proper ammunition they call reasonable suspicion Listen while I bring friction to your whole jurisdiction" - Fugees

by lcollins1 on Jun 8, 2011 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions