The Man in the Middle

ROBERTO Diaz left Golden Boy Promotions having, as one of many world’s main matchmakers, lengthy been so essential to their success. Throughout a probably defining time of their brief promotional historical past, his affect can even perhaps nonetheless be felt. By Declan Warrington.

The battle between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and John Ryder, in Guadalajara on Cinco de Mayo weekend final 12 months, got here weeks after Roberto Diaz had suffered a coronary heart assault, and but the revered matchmaker was ringside – watching, and absorbing – having travelled from Los Angeles to be current.

He was joined there his spouse Carla, who has lengthy labored for the world’s main fighter. Weeks later he then watched from afar when Jaime Munguia narrowly outpointed Sergiy Derevyanchenko and with explicit curiosity, given he had additionally contributed a lot to Munguia’s profession earlier than Diaz’s departure from Golden Boy Promotions earlier in 2023.

All through his 15 years with Golden Boy, he had come to be recognised as one of many world’s most interesting matchmakers, and a vital determine at a promotional organisation that for a interval was extensively thought-about probably the most highly effective on this planet. Ryan Garcia’s current victory over Devin Haney has strengthened their pursuits much more than maybe would Munguia defeating Alvarez or Vergil Ortiz Jnr beating Tim Tszyu, however even then they might not once more rediscover the heights reached beforehand, when the tremendous fights and the presence of Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and extra gave them such attraction.

It was Diaz, by way of his long-term affiliation with Marco Antonio Barrera, who earlier than becoming a member of Golden Boy had put Hatton in touch with De La Hoya and De La Hoya’s then-partner Richard Schaefer, making certain that the battle between Hatton and Floyd Mayweather was made. Mayweather, by then, had already defeated De La Hoya on one other Golden Boy promotion; the 2 largest fights of 2007 had been in the end theirs.

A-list affiliation: Marco Antonio Barrera (Stephanie Trapp/TGB)

If it was additionally by way of Barrera that Golden Boy and different fighters first turned conscious of Diaz, it’s since his separation from the Mexican that his repute has grown. Like Barrera – and certainly De La Hoya, Hopkins and Schaefer – he might by no means once more be fairly so influential, however like so many others who labored alongside or towards him, he’ll eternally know the way accountable he was for therefore many nice fights being made.

To be taught the total image of Diaz’s 55 years is to be taught of a lifetime earlier than his assembly with Barrera. Of the trimmings of gang tradition in San Francisco, the place he was born, and his father forcing him to relocate to the Yucatan area of Mexico the place it was past him; of his occupations as a salesman and as a parole officer; of the life-threatening automobile crash and profitable battle towards most cancers that saved his marriage on account of the dedication Carla continued to indicate him after they had beforehand determined that they need to divorce.

It’s maybe for these causes that the attitude Diaz has gained – his most up-to-date well being scare adopted his departure from Golden Boy – is much more acute. By his personal admission there have been occasions his household was uncared for whereas he pursued what he describes as his “dream”. Maybe the calls for of his occupation and the speed at which Golden Boy was rising even signifies that was the one method that it may ever have been.

“That’s what I realized after the 15 years after we parted methods,” he tells Boxing Information from his dwelling in LA. “One other message is first is your well being; second is your loved ones, and third is your job, as a result of your job’s all the time going to be there so long as they want you. Household needs to be there.

“I don’t wish to sound like I remorse it, as a result of it acquired me to the place I’m and who I’m at the moment, however you gotta give your loved ones that significance, and there have been occasions – ‘I’m sorry; I can’t make it to that’ – as a result of work comes first. There was a [Barrera] battle. I used to be in camp. My father [Roberto] had been sick for 30 years. They rely upon me – I gotta be right here.’ ‘Man, I must be going – when the battle’s over I’m gonna head out.’ He handed away the morning of the battle. Another day, I in all probability would have noticed him. Marco – his complete household – everyone knew. Marco will get lower, so after the battle I rush him to get stitched up. We get again to the lodge. The pool’s reserved for an afterparty. All people’s with this lengthy face. I flip round, and Carla’s sobbing. ‘My dad died, huh?’ Looking back, the job was all the time first.”

Barrera’s religion in Diaz – first following their assembly at a purchasing centre in San Diego, the place Diaz then lived, then when he fought Cesar Najera in Fantasy Springs – led to an invitation to affix his coaching camp in Large Bear, California, for his unforgettable first battle with Erik Morales. The dedication Diaz confirmed contributed to him later being so instrumental in the direction of the timing of the third battle of their trilogy – Barrera secured his second victory over his biggest rival – Diaz’s repute rising, and ultimately the supply to be the assistant matchmaker to Eric Gomez.

“In probation I labored per week and rested per week, so I’d go up for a few days and spend it in camp; run with them; eat with them,” he remembers. “Finally, from being a fan; a pal, [Barrera] says, ‘Why don’t you go in with the flag for my subsequent battle?’. They went on to have an incredible trilogy.

“‘I’m gonna signal with Oscar De La Hoya; Golden Boy Promotions.’ Golden Boy was simply beginning; [outside of De La Hoya] Marco was their largest identify. ‘We’ve acquired our first battle, towards Manny Pacquiao.’ We’re in Large Bear, and what I noticed was a quick, younger fighter that had loads of hassle with the jab. Marco had a phenomenal jab – an influence jab, as a result of he’s a southpaw transformed. ‘I don’t see something higher than Naseem Hamed. Naseem was extra awkward; punched tougher.’ Quick ahead, a hall-of-fame, large fighter – superb fighter – and one thing that comes round as soon as each 100 years. However on the time he didn’t appear something particular.

“He loses this battle, and I’m considering ‘It’s over’. Oscar didn’t lower him; Golden Boy didn’t lower him. Brings him again. From that time on, it was me. I noticed Erik Morales have two of his hardest fights the next 12 months and I say, ‘Marco, you have to battle the third battle now’. I didn’t doubt myself in that battle. That win mainly put Golden Boy on the map.

“Stepping again, nearly all of the followers will inform you [Juan Manuel] Marquez was primary, they’ll in all probability say Barrera, as a result of he beat Morales twice, was quantity two, and Morales was quantity three. Though the outcomes communicate for themselves, I’d actually nearly say Morales was primary, Marco quantity two, and Marquez quantity three.

“Bear in mind, I’m with Marco. ‘Let’s name it a day.’ He’s a associate at Golden Boy. ‘Let’s concentrate on the promotion and the younger children.’ He had different plans [he again fought, and lost to, Pacquiao in 2007]. That’s a fighter all the time being who they’re.”

There began the even-more-transformative decade and a half with Golden Boy – and the evolution of the promoter’s repute from one which labored with confirmed champions to 1 who guided them from the beginning. Diaz relocated to LA from Sacramento, the place his household remained, to just accept the supply of working with Gomez, however he thought-about quitting after every of the primary two promotions he oversaw.

“Oh my god,” he says. “They expanded; from in the future to the following, and that’s why it was like a crash course. You’re gonna sink or swim. Bernard Hopkins beating [Kelly] Pavlik; it was an incredible time. All people needed to be with Golden Boy. There was a knock on Golden Boy earlier than I acquired there that when you had been a star, already made, that’s the place you’d go. ‘However don’t go as a younger fighter, as a result of they don’t know how you can construct fighters.’ That they had Mosley; Hopkins; Marquez; Barrera; established fighters, perhaps near retirement, however had by no means produced a world champion. That knock, just a few years later with sufficient time and development, was gone, due to Abner Mares; [Daniel] Ponce de Leon; Danny Garcia; Adrien Broner; Deontay Wilder; [Jermell] Charlo. That knock rapidly went away. I take loads of delight in it, as a result of I began the careers of loads of them. I did nearly 99 per cent of Wilder’s fights.

“Don’t take it that it was all gravy – I keep in mind a nasty e-mail coming in blaming me for Victor Ortiz’s loss towards [Marcos] Maidana. That’s once I realized you gotta have a thick pores and skin. After they win it’s the fighter; the crew; the promoter; by no means the matchmaker. After they lose it’s the matchmaker. It was very intense; enjoyable. Nevertheless it wasn’t made for the common Joe. There have been occasions there have been three exhibits on the weekend. That’s how busy the time was.

“Richard did a hell of a job. Looking back I see perhaps what Richard noticed on the time. Possibly I didn’t see it as clear. ‘Possibly that’s what he noticed that he didn’t like.’ However I don’t suppose Richard and Oscar splitting is why the corporate modified. The Yankees had an period the place they had been the number-one crew. It’s a part of evolution; it’s a part of development. It occurs in boxing much more.

“There’s no such factor as the proper present – there’s all the time going to be one thing that goes incorrect. You’ve gotta go on with the present.”

“Richard [Schaefer] did a hell of a job” says Diaz. (Motion Photographs/Andrew Couldridge)

By way of Garcia, and probably Munguia and [Vergil] Ortiz, Golden Boy are rebuilding. There beforehand was heartache for Diaz – “The Mayweather loss was devastating, as a result of I actually believed [Hatton] would beat Mayweather”; a since healed fallout with Barrera; watching Frankie Gomez’s expertise go to waste – after which, much more considerably for he and every of his colleagues, the withdrawal from boxing of HBO.

“When the cut up [between De La Hoya and Schaefer] occurred, it actually slows down, as a result of the large identify you’ve got is ‘Canelo’,” says the Mexican, whose son Bobby stays with the promoter and in addition works for DAZN. “He sticks with Golden Boy; all of your different fighters are gone. Loads of them weren’t underneath contract; they go away; together with them leaves networks; Canelo stays; HBO indicators Canelo to a long-term deal; that saves us for a time.

“HBO swiftly decides to get out of boxing – an enormous blow to everyone. Fighters; promoters; boxing normally. You continue to return and reminisce and watch some previous fights on HBO. They had been the perfect. ‘Okay. What are we gonna do?’ I used to be quite a bit to do with the fighters, one-on-one. Not that anybody else wasn’t, however they knew that they might decide up the telephone anytime. I needed to be concerned; I needed to be near them. You’ve acquired champions you’re going to need to let go. ‘However you gave me your phrase.’ I by no means foresaw Covid and the place all this was going.”

Since Alvarez’s departure, Golden Boy have been working with DAZN. Had Diaz not refused to vow Dmitry Bivol a battle with Alvarez, he believes that they might be selling the Russian, whose potential he recognized. Diaz was in Las Vegas to observe Bivol-Alvarez in 2022; when he watches Alvarez-Munguia he might be removed from dispassionate; as not too long ago as June 2023 he was liable for Danielito Zorrilla changing the injured Liam Paro because the opponent for Regis Prograis.

“Fifteen years,” he says. “It wasn’t straightforward – folks turned accustomed to my identify getting tagged together with Golden Boy. However my contract ended – each starting has its finish. It was time for each side to go their method; perhaps down the road issues will begin popping out little by little. How issues ended perhaps weren’t the perfect, or at the least executed the fitting method. I don’t remorse the 15 years – the 14.5 had been superb.

“Solely a matchmaker understands the opposite matchmakers. I wish to keep in boxing. That’s my ardour. I’m good at it – it’s what I wish to do. However in a special position. Let me sit again; advise; do right here and there.

“I can see each side now; it’s not simply being a supervisor that claims, ‘You gotta pay extra’. I do know the place the center is.”