Oscar  Diaz will be stepping into the  ring with Jessie Feliciano on April 29th on ESPN, in what he believes is a crossroads fight for him. The junior welterweight, with a 19-1, 11 KOs record,  is coming off a victory over Al "Speedy" Gonzales on  ShoBox. His sole loss came against Ebo Elder, and Diaz  feels the loss has made him hungrier.

Diaz is a part of the Duva boxing stable, and is trained by Tommy Brooks.  The 22 year old from San Antonio, Texas is ready to make his  mark in the Boxing world, and feels April 29th will be his day to shine. Diaz recently took the time to talk with me about a number of things, and here's what he had to say.
 
Q: Why do you consider this fight on the 29th, a crossroads fight?
 
OD: He's a tough fighter, who comes to fight. We're looking for him to step up, and as somebody who comes right at you. I want to come out there and see where I'm at.
 
Q: You said that you learned a lot  in your loss to Ebo Elder. Can you elaborate on that?
 
OD: I kind of took that fight lightly, I wasn't as focused as I should have been, I guess I lost my  hunger a little bit. But, that fight woke me up, and gave me a new drive.
 
Q: What is your favorite type of fight?
 
OD: Fighting against a guy who wants to come out there and fight, against a guy that you know wants to win. A guy that's not there to dance around and showboat. A guy that likes to come out and fight, and give the fight fans something to watch.
 
Q: Is this the type of fight that you're expecting from Feliciano on the 29th?
 
OD: Yeah, that's what I'm figuring he's going to do, but I'm preparing for anything. I've been working with a lot  of guys here, guys that are aggressive and can  move, or just stand and punch. But, I know he likes to fight, so I expect him to come at me.
 
Q: What fighters did you admire while you were growing up?
 
OD: Like every young Mexican kid, I loved Chavez. I always liked to watch Duran, and I watched De La Hoya a lot  while he was coming up. I also liked watching Pernell Whitaker.
 
Q: Since you fought Ebo Elder, who do you think will win in his fight with Juan Diaz?
 
OD: I think Juan's going to win easy. Like I said when I fought Ebo I wasn't myself. He didn't beat me, I  blew it, and Juan is always ready and in shape, and  he's always coming at you. I didn't see anything  special from Ebo when I fought him, I just blew it, I lost the fight. I beat myself up about that, thinking  how I blew that shot.
 
Q: What got you started in Boxing, and what keeps you involved in it?
 
OD: My Dad got me in it, I was getting in a lot  of trouble as a youngster, so he said if you want to fight  do it here (the gym), and you won't get in trouble for it. What keeps me in Boxing is wanting a world championship, I want my name in those record books.
 
Q: What would it mean to you to win that world title?
 
OD: It would mean everything to me. Like Lou always tells me, "You only get what you put in." If you train and work hard, and do what you're supposed to do, then why shouldn't you be able to win a world title?
 
Q: How has it been working with the Duvas and Tommy Brooks?
 
OD: I like it, I mean I come up here and they give me everything to make it and be successful, I just got to do my part. Tommy, he's teaching me, when I make a  mistake he's good about correcting it right away, and  telling me what I'm doing. He's good explaining why  some things work, and why certain things are wrong. But, yeah Tommy Brooks is helping me a lot .
 
Q: You said earlier that you got into some trouble as  a youngster, so your Dad introduced you to Boxing. Fair to say Boxing an outlet for you?
 
OD: Yeah, my Dad told me, you like to fight, alright, then we'll let you fight kids who know how to fight,  instead of fighting on the streets. It's a whole different thing,  fighting in the ring. In the ring you got to control yourself, and it gave me another way to look at things.
 
Q: If there was one thing you could change about  Boxing, inside or outside of the ring, what would it  be?
 
OD: That's tough, let me think for a second, it's hard  to pick one thing. Probably to get a lot  of young kids coming up more involved in the sport, to give them more opportunities through professional Boxing. A lot of guys make it in Boxing, and don't give back to the community. I'd like to have a way to guide and talk to the kids that are in trouble or on the borderline, and  tell them how Boxing can serve as a way out from any trouble they may be having. Boxing could help them out, no matter what they want to do.

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Bragging Rights Corner wants to thank the Duvas for making this interview with Oscar possible.

4-15-2005