DAVID DIAZ vs JESUS CHAVEZ

Sometimes, veteran fighters who supposedly have seen better days can produce surprisingly good fights. This could be the case in Chicago on Saturday when former lightweight champions David Diaz and Jesus Chavez meet in what could be called a clash of hometown rivals.

Diaz, 33, is a longtime Chicago resident while Chavez, 36, was raised in the Windy City but relocated to Austin, TX after a troubled passage in his life that included a prison sentence and deportation to the country of his birth, Mexico, before he could gain re-admittance to the U.S.

The 10-rounder — made at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds — will decide the boxing future of both men. Whoever loses slips into the status of “opponent”, while the winner can conceivably move on to the bigger fights and maybe even another championship chance.

Diaz and Chavez are on friendly terms and each is respectful of the other, which was once the norm in boxing. Each, though, says that when the bell rings it will be down to business.

“This is a fight that makes sense for Chicago, it’s a fight that David and I wanted to make happen and it’s going to be a competitive fight,” Chavez said over the phone from Chicago this week.

In his last fight, Chavez suffered a cut on the hairline and retired after seven rounds against Michael Katsidis.

“It was a bad night, I got cut and it was hard for me to see and I lost momentum in the fight and I couldn’t get it back, and I opted not to continue,” he said. “I figured I’d live to fight another day. I’ve seen a lot of good and bad happen in boxing, and I’ve been a part of that — as I’m sure you already know — and safety comes first now.”

Chavez was, of course, harkening back to the tragic fight with Leavander Johnson, who died from a brain injury after their title bout in Las Vegas four years ago.

“I’m feeling good about the fight because I’m fighting in Chicago and I’ve prepared myself right for this fight and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I feel no animosity against David, we’re friendly — but come fight night, it’s going to be a fight. I’m sure he’s just as excited to be fighting back in Chicago as I am. I’m not going to say things are going to go one way or the other. I’m leaving it up to everybody to critique and to wonder.”

Diaz, meanwhile, is boxing for the first time since he was knocked out in the ninth round by Manny Pacquaio 15 months ago. “We took a year’s layoff, not because we wanted to, but I had a freak accident with my knee and need arthroscopic surgery and we had to rehab it,” Diaz said from Chicago this week, “but other than that I’m feeling great.”

Although outclassed by Pacquiao he gave the Filipino superstar a stiffer argument than either Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton, and it was certainly an honourable defeat, but Diaz feels he could have done better.

“His speed, oh my goodness — I was thinking about how hard he would hit but I didn’t even think about his speed at all, and that was my downfall,” Diaz said.

“You learn from your losses and you have to keep your head up and go forward. You can’t win them all.”

He is clearly looking forward to getting back in the ring again and especially in a fight against another ex-champ rather than a routine bout against a trial-horse type.

“I think it’s going to be a toe-to-toe fight,” Diaz said. “He’s gonna come there to fight and we’re going to meet and do our work. We both love to do this — it’s fun actually.

“To be fighting another Chicagoan, it’s good for the city’s boxing fans.

“I think it’s going to be a tough, gruelling fight and whoever is in the better condition is going to be the winner.

“We’re both action fighters and like to mix it up, so it’s going to depend on who’s in the best shape and who can take the punches better. I want to be champion again, and hopefully this is a step in the direction.”

Neither fighter came right out and predicted victory, but Diaz seemed more bullish about his future in boxing. Chavez says he is boxing on a fight-by-fight basis, although in my experience he is usually a low-key individual.

I thought that Chavez did well early against Katsidis — and one judge gave him two of the first three rounds — but the Aussie was just too strong and too busy for him. When Chavez was cut on the hairline in the fourth round his chances of winning dwindled as blood flowed, and I think he did the sensible thing in withdrawing from what was becoming a one-sided fight.

Diaz was his usual willing self against Pacquiao but he suffered a crunching knockout loss when a left hand pitched him face-first to the canvas.

So, while each man is coming into the fight as a last-time loser, Diaz’s defeat was of greater severity.

In a fight like this, there are question marks over both men. Chavez seems to me to be the more technically adept fighter of the two, but the southpaw Diaz is tough and tenacious. I think that the fighters are likely to meet in the centre of the ring and the punches will be flying. The winner will be the one who lasts the pace better and digs deeper. Diaz tends to get hit a lot, and Chavez might be able to land right hands through the middle of Diaz’s southpaw guard and rip in the hooks under and over, but Diaz is very strong and difficult to discourage.

Chavez has had problems with injuries (knee, shoulder) but Diaz has suffered wear and tear, too.

This is one of those fights where one doesn’t like to see a loser. I give a slight edge to Diaz, who might, I think, be a bit too insistent for Chavez at this stage of his opponent’s career, but I am seeing this as a toss-up type of fight and one that should be greatly enjoyed by the fans in the arena and internet viewers watching on gofightlive.tv.