My call to boxing's hall: Induct trainer Miguel Diaz

A few weeks ago Maxboxing had the chance to catch up with living legend Miguel Diaz to interview him in regard to his 50+ year career in boxing. In part 2, Maxboxing makes a case as to why Diaz, without question, should be in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Born in Argentina, but living in the United States since 1965, legendary trainer and cut man Miguel Diaz is 82 years young and still working with fighters today. His dossier is beyond impressive having seen the Las Vegas residing legend having worked with, literally, the who’s who of elite level professional boxing over the last 5 decades.

He arrived in Los Angeles, California in 1965 but later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where he worked his way into boxing on a full-time basis. Over the decades Diaz garnered a reputation as one of boxing’s best trainers and cut men working the corners of legends, champions and contenders in the sport.

Diaz was selected to receive the Futch-Condon Award, for the (1999) Trainer of the Year, by the Boxing Writers Association of America and he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008. However, one more box needs to be checked for the friendly and personable native of Entre Rios, Argentina - he needs to be enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The numbers don’t lie, and Diaz has built up a resume and reputation that is beyond reproach as one of the finest cornermen in the sport.

Diaz has worked with most (if not every) fighters of note throughout his time in the sport. For many years now he has been the head cut man for Top Rank Boxing, working with numerous world champions and contenders in both a training and, or, cut man capacity.

Diaz has worked with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Kelly Pavlik, Juan Domingo Roldan, Freddie Roach, Roger Mayweather, Diego Corrales, Pedro Dicema, Miguel Cotto, James Toney, Erik Morales and Fernando Vargas to name just a few of the dozens and dozens of contenders and champions he has cornered.

Diaz has been the head trainer for 9 world champions and has worked with 39 (and counting) world champions as a cornerman and chief cut man.

In a recent interview, Diaz shared some of his thoughts and memories from a lifetime in the game with Australian-based manager Mike Altamura on Altamura’s popular, ‘The Fight Game’, podcast. The interview gave some great insight into a man who has cornered some of boxing’s biggest fighters in the game’s biggest events. It was clear that Diaz developed his craft over decades of working under some of boxing’s legendary trainers and cut men as he himself developed into one of the most highly respected and revered cornermen in the sport.

“You need to respect the profession”, said Diaz. “You can’t throw a towel over your shoulder and learn 10 sentences to tell a fighter and then just repeat them over and over. That isn’t being a trainer” he said. “You need to see a lot of fights, see what is the best for your fighter, what your fighter is doing wrong during the fight and correct that; you have to know the fighter”, he continued.

While he knows instructions are key during the fight, he also knows that you have a very short window in between rounds to get a limited amount of information across to the fighter that he will actually be able to take in and act upon.

“You can’t give him 4 or 5 instructions between rounds. I hear trainers telling a fighter 4 and 5 things and the fighter is breathing heavy; he is tired, and he doesn’t take a lot in. If you can get one good point across, you are doing good”.

Diaz knows that an aspiring trainer has to be given an opportunity and he stresses that he was lucky to apprentice under some of the game’s very best when he was starting out.

“A trainer has to be in the gym, watching other trainers, learning – how they wrap hands, how they work in the corner. You have to learn the craft of boxing, learn from the old trainers. When I say ‘old trainers’, I don’t mean Miguel Diaz, I mean Ray Arcel, Mr. (Eddie) Futch, Angelo Dundee. Pick up as many tips as you can. Read the books about those old trainers and learn from the best”, he said.

Speaking to Altamura, when the topic of the International Boxing Hall of Fame comes up, Diaz, who has been married for 58 years, becomes somewhat humble on the subject and passes off the compliment to his loved ones.

“You know, for me, there is no more in boxing for me to do, but I would like it for my son and my daughter and my wife. As they say, behind every successful man is a successful wife. All the years and years she took care of the kids while I was away for boxing. She worked so hard, she used to babysit when we first came to the United States. At one time we had 12 kids in our house. A lot of those children, all grown up now, still call my wife - they call me Papi, they call her Mommy. I was away lots, sometimes, 30 days, 40 days. It is not easy. It is a big sacrifice. Trainers don’t have contacts, cut man don’t have contracts; there is little security in boxing. A lot of guys call themselves a cut man, but it is not an easy job. Everybody is a cut man until a guy gets cut in a fight – then you see who is a cut man and who is a fraud”.

People in boxing know the value, accomplishments and outstanding career achievements of Diaz. He doesn’t need to be enshrined into Canastota for people (who truly understand boxing) to know what an outstanding cornerman he has been, what he has accomplished, and how revered he is among real fight people; he’s truly a legend.

He doesn’t have to be enshrined, but he deserves to be; he has earned his spot.

Diaz studied from the best, he became one of the best and he deserves to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This is not up for debate. Miguel’s record speaks for itself - 9 world champions as a trainer and cornering 39 (and counting) other world champions as a cut man.

The time is now - Miguel Diaz has earned his place and (more than) deserves to get the call to boxing’s famed hall.