It wasn’t all that long ago that it looked like Nick Diaz was going to test the waters in the sport of professional boxing.
Having grown either bored or restless with the sport of MMA, Diaz seemed to be looking for more notoriety, and more money. Stepping into the boxing ring looked to be a quick fix for both.
Boxing promoters were more than happy to have Diaz step into the squared circle. After Randy Couture made short work of James Toney, the idea of putting Diaz in the ring against boxers like Fernando Vargas or Jeff Lacy was very appealing.
It was thought that Diaz would lose to either of those boxers, and the taint of the Toney loss would be erased, at least to a degree.
Diaz would have been paid well, no doubt. But it probably would have been only the one time, after which boxing promoters would have had no real use for him.
Thankfully, Diaz was thinking of the long run, and decided to go with the UFC.
Had Diaz decided to lace up those 12 oz. gloves, and box it out with Vargas or Lacy, he probably would have been given a beating equal to that one payday, which would be considerable. As good as the boxing of Diaz is in MMA, in the ring against Vargas or Lacy, he would have been seriously outmatched.
Afterwards, the UFC would not have had much use of him either. Taking in Diaz after such a loss would have been akin to taking the “hand-me-downs” of boxing. More than one voice would have been saying: “He couldn’t cut it in the boxing ring, but I guess he’s good enough to make it in MMA.”
After watching Diaz defeat Penn, it reminds us just how much we would have missed out on.
Watching Diaz fight is a treat. His style is so dramatic that he keeps you on the edge of your seat, no matter if you are for him or against him.
Now, tonight, he is set to face another excellent fighter in Carlos Condit, and again, it should be an incredible fight.
Diaz still has quite a few fights left in him, should he continue his winning ways. But like Arturo Gatti, Diaz can only take so much punishment before he starts to lose his edge. Fighters like Diaz are a rare breed, and it is good to know he has a close-knit group of family and friends who will sit him down when the time comes, and give him the straight truth.
But that time is not tonight, and thank God for that.
And thank God for Nick Diaz. In a world full of fighters who work hard at doing anything but fighting, Diaz refuses to do anything but fight.
And that is why we watch.
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