If he wins tonight, against Angelino Cordova, who has never lost and is five years younger, they want to fight for the world championship next. In January 2010 he was involved in a hit and runaccident in which a 20-year-old pregnant woman was killed. Stars like Argentinas Lucas Matthysse to UFCs Cub Swanson have walked through the doors of the gym that is run like the United States Marine Corps recruiting depot. Theres nothing to do but focus on boxing, said Ortiz Sr. whose family is based in Dallas, Texas. Diaz throws up his frustrated hands. So this former champ moved it out to the desert, More: Riverside County reports 3,901 additional coronavirus cases, 53 new deaths Wednesday. "Every time I went to a show or to a tournament, Lee would take five, six of us. The place looked so brittle, everyone worried that if an earthquake hit, it all would collapse. Boxing trainer Joel Daz bought and transformed the space during the COVID-19 pandemic. "But he kept hitting me behind the head.". He was just 23 years old when boxing took it from him. (Marquez elected to continue and stopped Jaca in the next round.). Bradley was groomed by the Diaz brothers into a professional style that was pleasing to boxing fans in the Southern California area. Joel Diaz "I told him when he came to the gym [last week], 'The problem is not you. The day after Diaz is gone, Mucio and Acosta will leave too. Joel Diaz worked for a while with Lee Espinoza at the Coachella Boxing Club before opening up his own gym. I appreciate what people are doing. Joel Diaz helping put Indio front - Indio Senior Center | Facebook Its not getting a large amount of attention in my neighborhood but this unification clash between WBA and IBF cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev (26-0, 19 KOs) and WBC and WBO cruiserweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk (14-0, 11 KOs) has historic ramifications tagged all over it. "The Diaz brothers know what it takes to have a wonderful gym," said Brandun Lee, an unbeaten super lightweight (22-0) contender who has trained at the building. How a gym in California's Coachella Valley became an international destination for boxing. He won another fight in 2015 and though by now he was visibly paunchy, he still managed to go 10 rounds to beat Gabriel Martinez in 2017 with occasional flashes of his old explosive volleys. The building, which boasts 10-foot ceilings, is around three timesthe space the Diaz brothers had at the Boys & Girls Club. At the screening, were friends and family of Joel Diaz, along with important members of the community, like Congressman Raul Ruiz. Last year, the event drew 750,000 attendees. "This is all I know how to do.". Flores is 18 and has boxed since he was 7 years old. They've been married for two years, splitting their time between Mexico, where she's from, and Puerto Rico, where he's from.