I have a couple of amateur boxers here in Jacksonville, in which whom, I'm preparing for a show in Tampa on Saturday (the 20th) and Nate happened to stop by the gym, in fact, he was there when we got there.
We were talking about past fights and his time in the amateurs. He was telling us about his fight with Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz. He mentioned how badly he destroyed Casamayor physically and should have gotten the decision. I watched that fight, and agree, he could have gotten the decision or at the very least, received a draw.
He talked about the lacerations to the face and bruised liver Casamayor had received from him and how he was the first and only fighter to send Casamayor to the hospital without knocking him out.
As far as Juan Diaz is concerned, he was proud to have beaten Diaz at his own game.
Of course, I had to ask him about the Tim Bradley fight; he called Bradley a bitch and what not, while also talking about the back and forth during the post-fight conference. He said it was the headbutt that changed the complexion of the fight and how he is still feeling the effects of that headbutt. In fact, he said that his eye still gets blurry on occasion because of the butt and it also leaks from time to time, especially when he sleeps.
Finally, I asked about his next title shot, in which he answerd by saying "I don't want another title shot again"; his reasoning, he can't deal with the sanctioning fees! I wonder how many other boxers out there are not so anxious in being a belt holder because of the ridiculous "sanctioning fees"? I told him, if anything ever meant anything, the Ring Magazine belt is all that matters.
By the way, his next fight is against Victor Ortiz, at the Garden in New York.


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