It's now a restaurant. Raise your punches a little higher.. It happens. Every second is used by the prizefighters. It will mean a lot to Joel to finally have a place of his own, though. Box-am Box-pro . He sings a Chalino Snchez song called "Recordando A Armando" that was playing earlier and must have gotten stuck in his head. Theres nothing to do but focus on boxing, said Ortiz Sr. whose family is based in Dallas, Texas. He and Gracia have known each other for nearly 40 years. Flores is 18 and has boxed since he was 7 years old. When Mucio fights and Acosta watches, he feels the same. Until then the Diaz boys had been raised by their grandparents. Hes poured his blood sweat and tears, he says, into the project knowing that he was on a deadline. Cracks that looked like spider webs, spread across the cold floor in a place just big enough for a couple of heavy bags and a boxing ring where firetrucks once parked. Thank you head trainer Joel Diaz of the Indio, Ca.. 29 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Chiropractor Indio, Ca. That, along with intelligence, is how he trains everyone here to fight. He stands, sometimes with his hands on the top rope and other times holding them behind his back. More recently, Cole worked the 2014 fight between Vasyl Lomachenko and Orlando Salido at the San Antonio Alamodome. Whether he makes it into the Hall will depend on how much a No Mas can count against one, but he warrants serious consideration when he becomes eligible. They would be his only defeats in 43 pro bouts. We dont treat her any differently than we do the men, said Joel Diaz. You will not want to miss this class. To save money, so they could buy a house back home on the other side of the border. As one of the more well-respected and well-known members of the Coachella Valley, because of his success in boxing and his friendly yet direct nature, many in the neighborhood already knew of Joel and also have offered to help. Hed sit, often by himself, in the early stages of the project drawing designs from his ideas for the space. Boxing trainer Joel Diaz is building his own gym in Indio after 18 years at Indio Boys & Girls Club Andrew L. John Palm Springs Desert Sun 0:00 0:24 Until last year, Joel Diaz hadn't. We always have a lot of things going on, said Joel Diaz. Despite having diminished vision, he sees everything, his single functioning eye darting in every direction. They then cleared out five trailers full of junk and reframed the space, secured the roof and began bringing new material. He's talking about where his gym is, on the eastern side of the Coachella Valley. "The Diaz brothers know what it takes to have a wonderful gym," said Brandun Lee, an unbeaten super lightweight (22-0) contender who has trained at the building. The curtains part and the crowd chants Acosta's name. In the beginning of round 12, Freitas was able to score an early knockdown, and as Barrios stood up on wobbly legs and Freitas went straight at him and with a couple more shots, Barrios was clearly in bad shape and badly discombobulated and the fight was stopped. When Acelino Freitas turned professional in 1995, he streaked from the gate with 29 straight KOs, one of the longest knockout win streaks in boxing history. When the announcer reads the judges' scores, the crowd boos. Another loss to Rosado, and the only thing to learn from it might be that his potential isn't as high as they all thought. Boxing is a sideline for Laurence Cole who runs an independent insurance agency in Dallas. Diaz is back in the dressing room and back to joking with Gracia. He found his purpose in a strange world where he didn't even speak the language. I would like to thank him, said Munguia about Bennetts refusal to allow him to fight Golovkin. And because he doesn't treat her any different than any of his other fighters. We are excited and honored to have coach Joel Diaz join us to teach a boxing class next Wednesday November 20th at 6pm at KBX Fitness Indio. When WBA/WBO super featherweight champion Acelino Popo Freitas met Jorge Rodrigo Il Hiena Barrios in Miami on August 8, 2003, there was more on the line than just the titles. The boxer is one of several Eastern European and Central Asian boxers -- from Uzbekistan and Russia mostly -- who train here. Diaz surrenders to New Orleans police after brawl, Paul launches series for up-and-coming boxers, Ramirez to defend WBO title vs. Shimizu in July. I know you from the heart. Its isolation eliminates distractions. Over the past few years the benefits of desert training are evident in the overwhelming success of those sweating and grinding in the sweltering desert gym in Indio. What changed? "I'm going to call the doctor," says Larry Ervin, an inspector with the California State Athletic Commission. In a fight he'd been dominating, Bek dropped his guard for a literal second and suffered a sudden and violent knockout. Ironically both Mosley and Diaz were from the Inland Empire and ended up training in the same Big Bear training camp. Led by the Diaz brothers Joel (in the white shorts) and Antonio, the roster of professional boxers can match any other gym in the world in terms of talent. INDIO - When Joel Diaz Jr., returns to the ring for the first time in seven years, he said he hopes to have his world-class trainer and father in his corner at the Desert Showdown, which. It's the old gym that's now a restaurant, the place where every day he and his fighters swept away plaster and pieces of concrete that fell from the walls. Heavy bags, speed bags, weights, chin-up bars and two boxing rings are all used simultaneously by the different boxers. Joel Diaz Boxing, Indio, California. The boxer, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Uzbekistan named Bektemir Melikuziev -- everyone calls him Bek The Bully -- nods. "Joel, do you have adrenaline?" We knew that he came like from nothing, no connections, no money, and then after that he had troubles and it wasnt like easy at all for him, says Jorge Newman. Diaz, 47, said he expects the new gym to open in March. "Cordova was a tough opponent," Acosta says. Find him on Twitter: @Andrew_L_John. And so, it's back to yelling commands and instructions. Diaz, 48, said he plansto open the gym up to the community for a grand opening in September. The idea that it was easier to show the separation of Mexican farmworkers, than to explain it, was something that'd been happening for decades. Honestly, it makes me happy because at one point, you know, life is short. Mucio has a fight sometime in June or July, so in a few weeks, they'll return to train again in the Coachella Valley. In the second fight on the card, another one of his fighters, Grant Flores Jr., is warming up for his second career fight by stretching and jumping around. Needing a space to traintheir boxers, including professionals and young amateurs, Joel and Antonio moved their operation to KBX Fitness, the North Indio gym of UFC featherweight Cub Swanson and his brother, Steve, also a mixed martial artist. Hence the watch list, which is designed to call attention to egregious errors in scoring by judges and unacceptable conduct by referees.. Let us know. While wrapping his hands, Oscar Gracia, who helps train fighters at Diaz's gym, accidentally cut Angel "Tito" Acosta, their boxer on the main event. Joel was close to delivering on the promise he made to his mother, who didn't want him fighting. Barrios got up at the count of 4, he didnt know where he was as he looked around towards the crowd like a kid separated from his family at a theme park, but Barrios turned to the ref at the count of 8 and signaled that he was okay, SAVED BY THE BELL. Acosta walks down the hall, surrounded by about a dozen people. He lost his first four amateur fights. Claim this business. Mercito Gesta vs Joel Diaz Jr at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio Filipino boxer Mercito 'No Mercy' Gesta will take on twice beaten Joel Diaz Jr in a 10 round Lightweight bout. But I was like, Wait, I have a building. With this loss, that now becomes more difficult. Sincetheir typically rigorous training schedule has been a little slower over the last year because of how the pandemic has reduced the number of fights in the sport, the Diaz brothers have had time to spend preparing the new gym, doing much of the work themselves. His job was irrigation. Antonio Diaz plans to continue working with kids and says one day he may bring professionals back tothe club, even after his brother moves to the new facility. Just about everything planted here came to life: watermelon, grapefruits, dates, squash, radish and cabbage, to name a few. The demand for labor followed. In boxing and in life, it is always better to give than to receive. Jorge Newman and Eduardo Salazar are from Cancun, Mexico, and first met Diaz while he was training a boxer for a fight in Mexico. On October 19, 1996, Joel lost a twelve-round decision to undefeated IBF lightweight champion Philip Holiday in Wembley Indoor Arena, Johannesburg. Professional boxing trainer Joel Diaz has recently opened his boxing gym in Indio, Calif., on July 23, 2021. desertsun.com Photos: Indio boxing gym of world-renown trainer Joel Diaz nearing completion . Theyve built relationships with several youth boxers whose dads are either plumbers, painters or work with concrete and have offered their services. Bradley won world titles as a super lightweight and welterweight and ultimately became one of the best pound-for-pound prizefighters in the world. Joel worked in construction for years before he became a trainer, and they have a contractor who has helped. "The f---ing check bounced," Joel still remembers. Golden Boy Promotions, which has a business relationship with the Diaz brothers and many of the boxers who train with them, has offered help as well. A lot of the boxers are just like me.". Diaz believes this building will be the cherry on top of a great career in boxing. The small cut on his right palm has long ago stopped bleeding, but that's the last thing on anyone's mind. Controversy has dogged Laurence Cole for well over a decade. "People are attracted to, and come here," Garcia continues. Recently Diego De La Hoya has emerged as a budding young star who is just about ready to enter the big time. So this former champ moved it out to the desert, Riverside County reports 3,901 additional coronavirus cases, 53 new deaths Wednesday, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "Those types of values and principles are instilled in the kids many times. These later wins, though against lower level opposition, somewhat softened the memories of the Corrales and Diaz fights, both of which this writer attended at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Even the fancy gas stations get their share of the dangerous little creatures. This is going to be a popular place for boxers to come and have training camp and be a part of that.. This energy, this level of commitment, is also one of the things that draws fighters to Indio. And although Joel has long been considered one of boxing's best trainers, being part of Bivol's team, and Bivol beating Canelo, who hadn't lost in nine years, made people take further notice of what was happening in this boxing gym out in the desert. So, this is my land, my property. Way too many distractions. Even if they share just a few words of a common language, they understand each other. Of those fading photographs on the gym wall, a lot of them are of the fighters he trained. He admitted to being in the middle of a whirlwind that is spinning beyond his expectations. The last time Pacquiao knocked out a welterweight was in 2009 against Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. His gravelly voice, built for teaching people how to fight, makes you wonder whether he has found peace at 50 years old, or whether he's too busy to give much thought to what he lost more than a half-life ago. "But he kept hitting me behind the head.". To sacrifice, doing backbreaking work, while being apart from the ones they loved. Reminders of that past are everywhere on the valley's east side, in schools and parks named after Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. The place looked so brittle, everyone worried that if an earthquake hit, it all would collapse. Its not getting a large amount of attention in my neighborhood but this unification clash between WBA and IBF cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) and WBC and WBO cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) has historic ramifications tagged all over it. Forty-five seconds into round eight, after being knocked down for a third time, Velasco spit out his mouthpiece and indicated to Cole that he was finished. "She'd have beat the s--- out of me," he answers while smiling. In the summer the heat hits like a smack in the face yet it doesnt stop the various gyms from filling up with eager wanna-be fighters. He'd scream and yell. Flores wins his fight in the first minute. From an administrative standpoint, boxing in Texas during the reign of Dickie Cole was frequently described in terms befitting a banana republic. The day after Diaz is gone, Mucio and Acosta will leave too. Maybe a thousand other things and it would've been different. Bennett claimed that the slender Mexican fighter had not proven worthy of contesting for the championship though the tall Mexican wielded an undefeated record of 28 wins with 24 coming by knockout. He put them in his truck and they drove the long way home out by the fields. Hes still working to complete the entryway and his office inside the gym, off Indio Boulevard, but the rest of the 6,250-square foot space has been transformed from a gutted building to a gym that will soon host current and future world champions. He's 32 years old and wants to be a world champion again. "Tengo que ir?" Another offered to pay for all the new matting going on top of the concrete floors. All he had to do was hang in there and the title would change hands on points. The man hugged them tight then picked them up. Diaz throws up his frustrated hands. They make a fist, then give him a thumbs up. Back to the chaos of the boxing gym where the hungry people fight. Not all prizefighters can adapt to the remoteness and solitude and end up moving on to urban locations like Jessie Magdaleno did recently. "It's a small, surface level cut.". "It hasn't stopped bleeding," Ervin adds. He couldn't risk losing the money or the opportunity, so he waited until after the fight. It hangs near the old newspapers next to photos of some of the fighters who have visited the gym. To be fair, Bennett has seen many fighters in the past with undefeated records who were not up to challenges, especially against the likes of Golovkin. Representative Ruiz and Diaz grew up in the same neighborhood in Coachella and were only a couple of years apart at Coachella Valley High School. But not before a full day of training. And it sometimes translates to the actual, literal fight that is presented to us when we grow up in places like Coachella.". Garcia tucks in his shirt and gives him a small squirt of water. In the fifth round, Marquez sustained a cut on his forehead from an accidental head butt. 2,187 likes. The pandemic shut down his boxing club. As the water supply diminishes, some of those golf courses consume up to a million gallons a day. Hes enjoying everything right now, and he wants everyone who trains and visits there to have that same feeling.. "Even when he's dead, he's still fighting.". How good will the promotion be? When Tim Desert Storm Bradley arrived as a pro in 2004 he had been passed over by various promotion companies who felt he was too small to fight at the super welterweight class he had participated in as an amateur. He was hurt, and at this point it looked like it might be over. Wherever it is, they'll rest and enjoy the things they've denied themselves for months. The documentary is co-produced by Joel Diaz, his son, Joel Diaz Jr., along with former UFC fighter & Coachella Valley native, Cub Swanson and his brother, Steve Swanson. After a 12 months constructing his personal boxing gymnasium in Indio, doing a lot of the work by himself, coach Joel Diaz is near opening it to the neighborhood. In this age of PEDs there was no mention of testing for the Pacquiao/Matthysse fight. Joel Diaz "I told him when he came to the gym [last week], 'The problem is not you. The community, in turn, has helped Diaz make this project a reality. At its worst, a yell of desperation. If you enjoy honest and heartfelt talk about life and boxing then read on, you won't be disappointed. The area has some of the most prestigious golf courses in the world. It's been almost 40 minutes since the sun set on Coachella Valley, and now it's Acosta's turn to fight. Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Im about helping the community, Diaz said. No matter what obstacles get in the way, you have to find a way to get through the hard times and keep fighting to overcome those obstacles., CONGRESSMAN RAUL RUIZ AWARDS JOEL DIAZ WITH CONGRESSIONAL HONOR. But here my son can just focus on boxing and only boxing and sharpen his skills.. Popo had grown old. As Marquez was being examined by the ring doctor, Cole informed Marquez that he was ahead on the scorecards, volunteering this information while holding his hand over his HBO wireless mike. He says this side of Coachella is where fighters come from, and he swells with pride whenever he sees them on television. "Work! His last bout ever was a knockout win over the veteran Jos Luis Montes. I want to be a great champion, said Munguia. Diaz sings again, only stopping to tell Gracia to visit an optometrist. But most promotion companies were not interested. "This is a bad area." "Nobody pushed me, I pushed myself," he says, remembering how he'd wake up to run hours before school.
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