Diaz Is Looking to Gain From Loss

The toughest part of an up-and-coming boxer’s first defeat isn’t necessarily the loss itself. It’s the road back and how he navigates it.

Julio Diaz, 22, had the momentum on his side last summer. His sterling and unblemished resume spoke volumes and an impending title shot was on the horizon. And, he said, a $1.3-million contract offer from HBO was staring him squarely in the face.

All the lightweight from Coachella had to do was get by an aging and seemingly shot Angel Manfredy.

It didn’t happen.

After a controversial 12-round split decision loss to Manfredy in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Oct. 6, the resume was sullied, the title shot put on hold and the cable giant’s big contract offer withdrawn.

“I felt this big,” Diaz said, pinching his right forefinger next to his thumb.

Enter Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum.

“In a strange way, it was probably a blessing in disguise, that outrageous decision,” the promoter said. “It slowed him up and took him off that fast track and maybe he wasn’t ready. But probably in six months, he’ll be more mature.”

Diaz is still considered main-event material for his first fight since the disconcerting loss. Diaz (23-1, 17 knockouts) was chosen to headline the first two-hour show in the New Generation series broadcast by Telefutura, a new Univision network.

Instead of a title shot, Diaz will make his Los Angeles-area debut by facing journeyman Verdell Smith (40-36-1, 17 knockouts) of Oklahoma City at the Hollywood Palladium tonight in a scheduled 10-rounder after previous opponent Carlos Ramirez withdrew following a car accident last weekend.

“He’s the brightest young prospect out there,” Arum said of Diaz.

Diaz is ranked fifth among 130-pounders by the International Boxing Federation, sixth by the World Boxing Council, seventh by the World Boxing Organization and 14th by the World Boxing Assn.

Diaz didn’t have to look far to get inspiration on how to bounce back from a loss.

His older brother, Antonio, lost a title shot in November 2000, going down in six rounds to WBC welterweight champion Shane Mosley.

But Antonio didn’t let the knockout loss become the start of a downward spiral. Rather, he will again fight for a belt, the WBO’s vacant welterweight title against Antonio Margarito in March.

“He doesn’t even know it, but that’s how I want to do it,” Julio said of how his brother has handled himself since getting knocked out. “I’m inspired by him.”

Said Antonio: “Some fighters lose and they don’t come back. They get all bummed and they don’t come back strong.”

Lee Espinoza, the Diaz brothers’ long-term manager and trainer, said he’s not worried about Julio.

“Oh no, Julio is something special,” Espinoza said. “He didn’t get hurt, nothing. First of all, Angel did not fight. If Angel would have fought, he would have got knocked out. He was just doing things like a crybaby. Such a big guy calling himself ‘El Diablo’ and being such a crybaby. The last low punch wasn’t a low punch. ... The referee says fight and he goes, ‘Ay, he hit me, low blow.’ And the referee took away a point.”

CompuBox numbers from the fight showed Diaz was the busier and more effective fighter, landing 22% (293 of 1,306) of his punches, compared to the 19% (194 of 997) of Manfredy. But referee Barry Yeats penalized Diaz one point in the fourth and ninth rounds for low blows. A warning was never issued before either deduction.

The crowd lustily booed the judges’ scores--115-112 and 114-112 for Manfredy, 114-112 for Diaz--and the decision.

“Julio’s going to bounce back like nothing,” Espinoza said.

Diaz, born in Huiquilpan, Mexico and the married father of two daughters, is building an international following and is asked to address media throngs in English and Spanish to better market himself.

Still, Diaz, who’s comfortable fighting from either his natural right side or as a southpaw, said he’s hungrier mentally than ever before. Especially after losing out on the title shot and HBO contract.

“It’s just a matter of time. ... I’ll be back,” he said.

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The Facts

What: Boxing at Hollywood Palladium.

When: Doors open at 4 p.m. today. First bout will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Main event: Lightweight Julio Diaz of Coachella (23-1, 17 knockouts) vs. Verdell Smith (40-36-1, 17 knockouts) of Oklahoma City .

Also on card: Gilberto Corrales (19-0-1, 15 KOs), of Culiacan, Mexico, vs. Jose Alfredo Jimenez (18-9, eight KOs), of Tijuana, 10-round super-bantamweight bout; Omar Weis (33-3-2, 16 KOs), of Argentina, vs. Alejandro Jimenez (11-20-3, five KOs), of Guadalajara, six-round lightweight fight; Jesse Reid Jr. (10-0, six KOs) of Westminster vs. Rod McSwain (7-19, 2 KOs) of Oklahoma, six-round cruiserweight bout.

Tickets: $150 and $20, from Ticketmaster, Hollywood Palladium or La Brea Boxing Academy at (323) 936-6952.

TV: Telefutura, delayed at 9 p.m.