WBO/WBA/IBF lightweight champion Juan Diaz's March 8 fight in Cancun against IBF mandatory Nate Campbell now has a "50-50 chance of happening", according to Diaz's manager, Willie Savannah.
King wants just the IBF title to be on the line, which would have Diaz stripped of the WBO strap. Diaz is refusing to fight without all three belts up for grabs, because he feels as though he's worked too hard to just give either or both of them away. King doesn't want to pay three sanctioning fees.
It is more Don King bullshit, plain and simple. King is attempting to hurt Diaz's career and marketability as much as he possibly can before the two split for good, which isn't too far into the future.
I wish someone could convince Diaz that the alphabet tin is nothing to get too up-in-arms about, but you have to respect his position. Fighters see the gold differently than we do. They work hard for shots at being a "world champion," and Diaz has three of the four major 135-pound titles. Those are symbols of how much he has already accomplished in the sport.
But as much as I hate the sanctioning bodies, Don King is to blame for this entire mess. Part of me hopes Jones-Trinidad completely bombs, just to put King further onto the backburner. But I don't want to wish that on the fighters that put their lives into the sport. The sooner King is out of boxing, the better.