• Age: 31 (6-7-76)
• Residence: Chicago, Illinois
• Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
• Record: 34-1-1, 17 KOs
• Height: 5’6”
• Reach: 69”
• Managers: Jim Strickland
• Trainers: Jim Strickland, Sam Colonna, Mike Garcia

WBC lightweight world champion...

1996 U.S. Olympic representative, 139 pounds…

1996 National Golden Gloves amateur champion, 139 pounds…

1994 National Golden Gloves amateur champion, 139 pounds…

1993 National Golden Gloves amateur champion, 139 pounds…

1992 National Jr. Olympic amateur champion, 132 pounds…

At the age of 31, David is an 11-year pro. A former four-time U.S. National amateur champion and 1996 U.S. Olympian, he made his debut in November, 1996.

2008 --- On March 15, 2008, David battled Ramon Montano (15-4-2) in a ten round non-title bout at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight took place on the undercard of the rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao and was broadcast on HBO Pay-Per-View. After an even first round, David started to impose his will on the young Las Vegas based prospect. By the middle of the fight, Montano started to show the wear of Diaz’s constant pressure attack with cuts and bruises mounting in his face and upper body. After ten rounds in a typically aggressive and physical fight for David, scores were announced as a majority decision in his favor of 99-91, 97-93 and a surprising card of 95-95.

KEY FIGHT – 2007 – DEFENDED WBC L WORLD TITLE – In his last fight David successfully defended his WBC lightweight championship on 8-4-07 against three division world champion Erik Morales (48-6) at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, an outstanding battle which was broadcast on HBO-PPV. Although behind on the scorecards early, Diaz rallied before the raucous hometown crowd of 10,000 to capture the decision, sweeping the championship rounds against the future Hall of Famer and winning the decision by scores of 114-113, 115-113 and 115-112. As David had successfully done in numerous battles in his career, he rallied late to win the fight. The fight billed as WAR FOR 4 lived up to its expectations as both combatants put on a highly skilled, true warrior like display for the fans and large contingent of international media present. With the win, Diaz cemented his place as amongst the best lightweights in the sport and one of the most popular and respected athletes in the sports crazy town of Chicago.

David also fulfilled a long time dream of his with the win, to fight in his native Chicago for the world championship. After the fight David said, “We have a never quit attitude. That’s why I went all out in the final rounds as I knew how close the fight was.”

About the critics who claimed he wasn’t a real champion, David said, “Did I earn it tonight? This was my championship fight. A lot of your guys wrote this was given to me. Tonight, I can call myself a champion especially after beating a legend.” In their post fight stories, boxing writers unanimously lauded Diaz for his win over Morales and that he deserved to be ranked amongst the very best lightweights in the world.

In his 2007 year end awards, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com listed the fight in his year end review of

“Fights of the Year” along with the first round in his “Rounds of the Year” list.

Key Fights – 2006 – WON WBC INTERIM L WORLD TITLE - On 8-12-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d defending champion Jose Armando Santa Cruz (23-1): the bout was co-featured with the Oleg Maskaev-Hasim Rahman main event at the Thomas & Mack Center; it was an exciting fight and a stunning come-from-behind knockout win; David started fast – he won the 1st and 3rd rounds on all three scorecards but Santa Cruz, four inches taller at five-foot ten, dominated the fight after that; he consistently generally outworked David, landed the harder punches, and swept rounds four through nine on all three scorecards; but David came on strongly in the 10th round – he scored a knockdown with a left uppercut that put Santa Cruz flat on his back; he got up, but David scored another knockdown with a series of punches; Santa Cruz got up again, but David rocked him again and the referee stopped the fight at 2:26; after nine rounds, Santa Cruz led by scores of 88-83, 88-83, 87-84; after the fight, David said, “I told you we would steal the show. I studied two of his videotapes and I discovered he can’t take it to the body. I won this for Chicago and I promised my mother I would win the fight.”... Boxing columnist Graham Houston reported, “When a fighter simply refuses to give up, great things can happen, as David Diaz demonstrated with his dramatic 10th-round victory over Jose Armando Santa Cruz... After nine rounds, the fight looked a lost cause for Diaz. The 30-year-old from Chicago was well behind in the scoring. Diaz was looking swollen and battered around the eyes. He needed to stop Santa Cruz to win, and we all knew that Diaz was not a seriously hard hitter - or thought we knew - because the left uppercut that he landed from his southpaw stance in the 10th round was surely one of the great punches of the year.”

The win against Santa Cruz also made David the WBC’s mandatory challenger and when no agreement could be reached during the free negotiation period with WBC champion Joel Casamayor, the fight went to a purse offer. Casamayor’s representatives did not participate and pursued another fight, and Casamayor was stripped of the title. According to WBC rules, David took his place as champion.

On 6-16-06 in Cicero, IL, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against late substitute Cristian Favela (11-10-4): David dominated most of the fight although Favela rallied in the late rounds and David’s left eye was swollen badly; scored 120-108, 119-109, 116-112...On 3-17-06 in Chicago, IL, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Silverio Ortiz (16-8): it was a good fight, and several rounds were close; David was cut over his right eye – ruled by a clash of heads - in the 1st round, and Ortiz staggered him in the 2nd; Ortiz rocked David in the 4th round and his glove touched the canvas, but it was not ruled a knockdown; David rallied and rocked Ortiz with a series of punches in the 7th round, and both fought hard for the rest of the fight; the judges scored 97-93, 96-93, 96-93; after the fight, David said, “The cut blurred me up a bit, but I didn’t want the ref to know it was bothering me. I felt I did enough to win. I’ve had bad cuts, but not that bad.”

2005 – on 12-10-05 in Rising Sun, IN, he fought to a 12 round draw against Ramazan Palyani (11-0): scored 115-113 Palyani, 114-114, 114-114...On 10-21-05 in St. Louis, MO, he TKO’d former IBF jr. bantamweight world champion Juan Polo-Perez (46-40-4): at 2:07 of the 3rd round...

On 8-20-05 in Rosemont, IL, he won a 4 round unanimous decision against John Trigg (13-28-5): scored 40-36 on all three scorecards...On 6-2-05 in St. Charles, MO, he TKO’d Tyrone Wiggins (5-13): at the end of the 3rd round...On 2-4-05 in Mashantucket, CT, he was TKO’d against Kendall Holt (17-1): it was an exciting fight; David constantly pressed forward against the elusive Holt; Holt scored a knockdown during a furious exchange in the last seconds of the 1st round, and David was cut over the right eye at the same time; some rounds were close, but Holt stayed away from Diaz’s power and attempted to keep David off-balance with constant movement; David scored a knockdown in the 7th round with a brutal straight left cross that caused the badly hurt Holt to spit out his mouth piece for extra time to recover; in the 8th round Holt was pressuring David against the ropes when referee Charlie Dwyer surprisingly stopped the fight at 2:26; after seven rounds, Holt led by scores of 68-63, 68-63, 67-64...

2004 - on 12-10-04 in Chicago, IL, he TKO’d Jaime Rangel (30-6-1): it was an exciting fight; Rangel started fast and rocked David in the 1st and 2nd rounds, but David rallied in the middle rounds and swept rounds four through eight on all three scorecards; Rangel was penalized one point in the 6th and 8th rounds for low blows; David staggered Rangel in the 9th, and Rangel’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at 2:25; after eight rounds, David led by scores of 79-71, 78-72, 78-72; after the fight, David said, “He was very tough, took a good punch and hit pretty hard. I made some mistakes early on by rushing in, and got caught a few times.”…

On 7-9-04 in Merrillville, IN, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Jaime Morales (7-24-4): David fought aggressively, outworked Morales, and dominated the fight; scored 80-72, 80-72, 79-73; after the fight, David said, “He was very awkward, and I found it very difficult to get on the inside with him. But we got the win, and that’s what is important.”

On 5-15-04 in Chicago, IL, he TKO’d former WBO jr. welterweight world champion Ener Julio (23-6-1) in a battle broadcast on NBC-TV: David dominated the fight; he consistently landed the harder punches, wore down Julio, and scored a knockdown in the 6th round; David rocked Julio with a series of punches in the 10th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:42; after nine rounds, David led by shutout scores of 90-80, 90-80, 90-79; after the fight, David said, “We trained extra hard to prepare for this fight. My trainers gave me an excellent plan. We wanted to isolate him and pressure Julio the whole time. We wanted to stay inside and work the body, and box more in the later rounds. I could feel him slowing down.”

On 1-30-04 in Chicago he won an 8 round decision against Emanuel Augustus (aka Emanuel Burton, 27-22-5): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; the early rounds were close - David pressed forward, but Augustus moved and countered effectively; they stood and slugged in the middle rounds, had the fans were on their feet, and fought hard until the final bell; scored 78-74, 78-74, 79-73; the crowd gave the fighters a standing ovation after the fight; looking back, David said, “Unfortunately, that fight wasn’t televised, but if it would have been, you would have seen like a whole different David. I did mix it up, I boxed, I moved pretty well. Actually, I feel that I’m becoming more of a seasoned fighter, getting more experience and stuff in the ring.”

2003 - on 12-12-03 in Chicago he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Frankie Sanchez (13-9-1): David shut out Sanchez 80-72 on all three scorecards.

On 9-13-03 in Temecula, CA, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Juaquin Gallardo (14-1-1) on NBC-TV: it was a very solid fight; David scored a knockdown in the 1st round and cut Juaquin over the left eye in the 2nd, taking the fight to Gallardo although some rounds were close; both fighters went all-out in the 8th round - the fans were on their feet and gave them a standing ovation after the final bell; scored 76-75, 77-74, 78-73.

On 7-18-03 in Chicago, IL, he knocked out Nelson Manchego (11-2-1): the fight was scheduled for 10 rounds; David scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 1st round, and Manchego was counted out; after the fight, David said, “I’m calmer now, surer of my punches. But I have good range against tall guys. I know how to work inside.”

On 6-6-03 in Chicago he TKO’d Andre Baker (5-19-2): Baker did not continue after the 5th round…

On 4-11-03 in Chicago he TKO’d Franco Ogentho (15-3): David scored three knockdowns and stopped Ogentho in the 1st round; after the fight, David said, “We trained, worked hard for this one. I think it boils down to how you work out. My work ethic is better.”

On 2-7-03 in Chicago he TKO’d former Guyanan jr. welterweight and lightweight champion Dillon Carew (12-10-3): Carew was cut over both eyes and his mouth was bloodied, and he did not answer the bell for the 3rd round.

2002 - on 12-13-02 in Chicago he TKO’d Damone Wright (15-19-1): David scored three knockdowns and stopped Wright at 0:47 of the 4th round…

On 10-17-02 in St. Louis, MO, he knocked out Clifton Woods in the 2nd round…

On 9-27-02 in Chicago he TKO’d Anthony Cobb (4-27-3) in the 6th round…

2000 - on 9-8-00 in Villa Park, IL, he TKO’d Steve Larrimore (25-24) in the 2nd round…

On 4-21-99 in Rosemont, IL, he TKO’d Leopoldo Salas in the 4th round…

On 2-27-99 in Miami, FL, he TKO’d previously undefeated Adam Leibowitz (6-0-1) in the 6th round…

He debuted at the age of 20 on 11-30-96.

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: 1996 U.S. Olympic representative, 139 pounds…1996 National Golden Gloves champion, 139 pounds…1994 National Golden Gloves champion, 139 pounds …1993 National Golden Gloves champion, 139 pounds …1992 National Jr. Olympic champion, 132 pounds.

1996 Olympics: in his first fight in Atlanta on 7-24-96 he stopped Jacobo Garcia of the Virgin Islands at 2:27 of the 3rd round; in his second fight on 7-28-96 he lost a 14-6 decision against Oktay Urkal of Germany, who went on to win the silver medal.

1996 Olympic Trials: David beat LeChaunce Shepherd and Larry Nicholson in his first two fights, and Zab Judah in the finals; David beat Judah again in the Box-Offs…

David said, “There were nine children in my family, five boys and four girls and I was the youngest. They were all born in Mexico, I was the only one born here in Chicago. My dad had been coming to the U.S. since 1950, maybe ‘52. Our family was from the state of Guerrero. My mother is from a little town that you can only get there by boat, it’s called Acatlan. My dad is from Las Mesitas, a town that probably doesn’t exist anymore. There were only about two houses there. My father used to stay out in Sacramento, California, you know, working the fields like any other Mexican immigrant who came out to work. Then he finally settled here in Chicago and he brought over my mom and a year later, my brothers and sisters came. Then I came.

“One of my brothers used to fight and he got me interested in it. He only did it for a month or two. He took me to the gym one day but it was closed. My dad took me the next day and it was open, and I started working out. The first day I sparred, I fell in love with it. I was eight years old and I’ve been boxing ever since. I ended up having about 175 amateur fights. [note: reportedly 160-15] I won four Chicago Golden Gloves in a row at 139 pounds, from ’93 to ’96.”

From thering-online.com [excerpts]: By age eight, his father was taking him to the Wells Park gym, where the elder Diaz instilled in his son a work ethic that defines him to this day. “He gave me a way to do things,” said Diaz of his father’s insistence that he finish whatever he started. “He wasn’t an educated person, but he was a very hard worker. I think I got that from him. He used to work in a trophy company, R. S. Owens. They make the Oscar statues for Hollywood, and there used to be a joke when I was about 17 or 18. My buddies would ask, ‘Hey, your dad works here. No wonder you got all them boxing trophies!’ ”...

After winning his first 13 pro fights through September, 2000, David took two years off from boxing before returning in September, 2002; he said, “It was just like, a horrible year. I had a death in the family, my oldest brother passed away out in Mexico. He was 45. We hardly saw each other because he was in Mexico, he was a teacher out there. He was like the pride and joy of the family because he had gone through school, graduated, became a teacher, and was also a teacher in folkloric dancing. He was just someone that we tried to be like, because he had done so much and he had done it almost all on his own, because my mother and father were all the time working. He was almost like a mother and father to the rest of my brothers and sisters. He actually took care of the rest of kids for about a year by himself.

“My mother had been on dialysis for like, five years, then she finally got a kidney transplant. After getting the kidney transplant, she had a heart attack. My being the small one of the family, I was the one helping out my mom, and most of the time it took away from boxing. I also lost track of what I was doing. I was young kid, I didn’t have my head on right. I had lost a little bit of interest in boxing, I had gone away from it. I lost my sight. That’s how I like to call it, I lost my sight. I was working odd jobs, some construction and stuff like that.”

David is a full-time fighter…he said, “I got married to Tanya on June 14, 2003. We have a little boy. His name is David, but he’s not a junior. He’s got my dad’s name as his middle name. My dad’s name is Anselmo.”…David and Tanya welcomed their second son Elias Armando on May 19, 2007. Graduate of Schurz High School, 1995.

STRENGTHS: A lefthander with an aggressive style and good skills…at his best, he keeps a busy pace, pressures his opponents, and wears them down…tough and durable...physically strong, is always in good condition, has good stamina…had a strong amateur background.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 36 fights…215 total rounds…22 world championship rounds

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 6.0 rounds

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 47 %

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 3 (2-0-1)...10 rounds - 4 (4-0)