By Marc Livitz: Boxing doesn’t always make itself known across popular circles around the schoolyard. By contrast, what is normally seen amongst grade school children are the popular ones who excel at such sports as football, basketball and baseball.
The fighting pastime takes a different type of effort to not only discover but adhere to as well. What is often missed by some young and older fighters alike is the life lessons taught in the ring. Ideally, the trainer looks to instill the mindset of once you start a journey that you stick around to see it through to the finish line.
During the more impressionable years of his life, the baseball diamond was were Joseph “JoJo” Diaz would oftentimes be found and his introduction to boxing was an all too familiar tale. “I started playing baseball when I was about three years old”, said the 23 year old boxer during a recent interview. “I went to the gym when I was eleven because I was getting bullied and picked on.” The daily tread and dedication needed to shine in the sweet science is something which the Los Angeles area fighter learned early on and fully understood to be a daily undertaking. “I still played baseball through the tenth grade”, said Diaz. “But boxing was my passion and I just fell in love with it, but I always had to leave baseball practice at 5pm to go train.”
Joseph found the support of his parents to be most accommodating in regard to making his decision to go with the ring over the diamond. He commented, “I had to choose because I could no longer do both. It was a tough decision but I sat down with my parents and they said to do what I wanted to do with my life. So, I loved boxing more and they told me to go with my gut.”
Time flew as it normally does and now, Diaz has eighteen professional fights to his credit alongside an unbeaten record of eighteen wins with ten knockouts since he turned pro in 2012. He fought his first bout in December of that year, just a few months after he returned from the London Olympics where he fell just one round short of possibly competing for a medal. Still, “JoJo” saw the positives in the life changing trip to the United Kingdom. “It was such a great experience and a dream come true”, said the undefeated fighter.
“I knew since I was fourteen that I wanted to compete. I’m very fortunate as well as blessed to have been around elite athletes and having seen the determination and focus they had. We were all trying to get gold medal and much of what I learned is what I’m using it the pro ranks right now.”
On Saturday, December 18, the young featherweight pugilist will find a new challenge in the ring when he meets Hugo Partida (21-6, 16 KO’s) of Mexico City at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California. Joseph is all too aware of a promoter or manager’s tendency to carefully as well as slowly ease a fighter into possible contention. At times, such an approach is beyond counterproductive and doesn’t benefit the boxer in the best fashion. Diaz’s views on such a subject are beyond clear and his fight ledger contains bouts against many fighters with winning records.
“Experience is key and learning from these guys will help me in long haul”, he commented. “All these guys have been teaching me as I compete and it’s been a great learning experience. Some fight guys who have a negative record and that won’t benefit them in the long haul because a tough fighter could wear them out.”
With any good fortune, the approach taken thus far by Joseph and his managerial team will continue to bring positive results. He’s remained a busy fighter in terms of time spent in the gym and the fact that idle hands have not com near him as his professional career just reached three years is surely a sign of an eager individual. Diaz added, “My career has been great and I’ve remained active. My next fight will make nineteen in three years. I’m getting lots of experience and learning from every single fight. It’s been great. My style even as an amateur was more like a professional. I just want to continue and be the best that I can.”
As Joseph “JoJo” Diaz takes to the ring this Saturday evening in Indio, he will take with him a personal pride which has allowed him to find steady success at an early age. “I want to put on a great show on the 18th of December,” he said. “I can promise that 2016 will be a great year.”
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