Joel Diaz on his split with Victor Ortiz:
"We're great. There's no bad blood. Nothing went wrong with Victor and I. We're OK. I texted him yesterday, because he didn't let anyone know he was going to be training over there with Hoss. And Sam Watson and Al Haymon called me and wanted to know if Victor was ready for a big fight. So I said, I think so, he should be ready now. He has two fights already. And they said, OK, we're gonna call you back with the name of an opponent.
"So I text Victor and say, please let me know what's going on, they wanna know if you're ready for a big fight. So Hoss calls me and tells me Victor's already training over there, he was working out for three weeks. So I said, OK, please let me know what's gonna happen, that way if I'm not going to be working with Victor no more, they don't have to contact me. So I sent Victor a message yesterday, saying, hey Victor, please let me know if we're still going to work together. If not, so I can direct the calls to you now, because I'm too busy to be giving everybody explanations about your career if we're not going to work together no more.
"He says, 'Coach, thank you, I have nothing but respect for you and your team, I just think that Indio's too far. There's really not much in Indio. I know that this sport is about sacrifice, but I've sacrificed all my life. Indio's just not for me. Here in Ventura, I have my friends here and I feel comfortable, so I'm gonna do camp here.' Simple as that. And he says, 'You know, the only thing that kept me going was you guys, the boys, the coaches, you guys are great people, and I have nothing but respect for you.' So I said, OK, if you need anything, let me know, we've always got your back."
On what's next for Ortiz
"That's what it looks like, he's gonna get a big fight. I don't know (the names), because when I spoke to Al Haymon a few nights ago, they said they'll get back with a name, but they're already asking if he's ready for a big fight. But he's already fought some of the best in the world. He fought Floyd. He fought some of the biggest fights. If he's gonna make it or break it, let's do it now. It's now or never. He shouldn't be waiting around. He should go for another big name. If he's gonna make it now, he's gonna make it. If not, hey, find something else to do."