In recent years, many fighters from the Pacific Northwest have tried to step onto the world stage but have come up short. Seattle’s Roger Cantrell 5<sup>th</sup> round TKO loss to Andre Ward immediately comes to mind. Escaping regional obscurity has been a difficult for the Northwest’s finest, but all hope is not lost. This Wednesday, June 25<sup>th</sup>, at the Playboy mansion in Beverly Hills, California, David Torres, one of NW’s most promising prospects, will take on the former IBF lightweight champion Julio Diaz in a fight that has "exciting" written all over it. Although some experts declare Torres is untested, many feel this could be his coming out party. http://fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=657