Carlos Diaz, once one of Tampa's most promising fighters, hopes you remember him.
Two years ago, he was a rising star. He was going to be the next big thing out of the bay area. His future was promising.
And then, he disappeared.
Into the abyss he went, like so many before him. Desperate for cash, he took some fights on the hometurf of some good fighters on short notice, lost some disputed decisions and claims he was "set up" for failure.
Fail he did. In two short years, Diaz went from prospect to retirement, disenchanted with the business of boxing.
The sport, however, has pulled him back.
July 9 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa, Diaz will launch a comeback in the city where he lost just once, to Phillip Payne in 2002.
That fight was to be Diaz's coronation as a legitimate prospect. It was arguably one of the best and most exciting fights the local scene has had, with both fighters trading bombs and nearly knocking each other down. In the end, Payne was a unanimous decision winner.
But the loss, the first after eight victories for Diaz, did little to dampen the expectations for the Puerto Rican-born fighter. He needed work, to be sure, but the power that earned him the nickname "Bam Bam" would be a nice selling card in the super bantamweight division.
A month later, it quickly unraveled. Diaz's mother had been shot before the fight with Payne, and there were medical bills to be paid. So when it was suggested that he take a fight with San Antonio's Joe Morales - in San Antonio - just a month after his brutal battle with Payne, he did it and lost.
"I wasn't ready for that fight," Diaz said. "I wasn't training, but I was kind of needing money to pay my bills."
He was knocked out a month-and-a-half later by a Phoenix fighter - in Phoenix by a rabbit punch, he claims - then lost a four-round decision in Connecticut in June 2003.
Diaz, 26, decided afterward he would fight no more.
"That was supposed to be an eight-round fight, and at the last minute they don't let me warm up and drop it to four rounds," Diaz said. "I didn't even sweat. And he was supposed to beright-handed, and he was left-handed. It's just, when you go out of town, they pick you to go and lose. They set me up."
Diaz, who works for a local air conditioning company, quit but never completely shook the boxing bug. After nine months, he found new trainers, Clearwater's Larry Berrian and Tampa's renowned Jimmy Williams, and decided to reignite his career.
"I lost my focus, I just lost my focus," Diaz said. "Right now I'm just trying to get started back again, trying to do everything right this time. I had to give myself another chance."
He said he feels stronger, quicker and better trained. He is moving up to lightweight and hopes he can redevelop his following in Tampa.
Diaz will fight Indiana's Backlin Medrano, who has a 9-1 record but has taken on no one of Diaz's caliber. He is trained by Jim and Christy Martin, the former women's champion who has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Diaz is headlining a card filled with comebacks. Tarpon Springs fighter Brian Chiary is returning after a year off, and St. Petersburg native and heavyweight Michael Harris (11-0) will fight Bradenton's Sam Tillman. Harris, 38, who hasn't fought since 2000, is also trained by Berrian and Williams.
Tickets for the July 9 show are $20, $35 and $75, and can be purchased by calling (813) 503-8109.
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