He passed Thursday after spending 7 yrs in a nursing home following a brutal fight with Delvin Rodriquez in 08. He was only 32! Be at peace. Just caught this interview with Rodriquez and it hits you pretty stiff in the end.
Oscar Diaz, badly injured in fight nearly 7 years ago, dead at 32 - ESPN
Well that’s fucking horrible. I thought he had recovered from that fight n just retired. It doesn’t specifically say that he was in that nursing home for 7 years does it?
Did not know about this story very moving. Delvin Rodriguez is a class act and it must have had an impact on him.
RIP Oscar Diaz
This is the reality of boxing. RIP.
This unfortunate incident is a testament to better pre-fight screenings. I am just now watching the fight between Diaz/Rodriguez, and it is clear that there was some neurological issues with Diaz before the fight.
He was pulling his punches from the first and second round and was barely moving his head. People would look at it and say well he was just inexperienced, but a professional fighter like Diaz should not have had those types of issues.
If anything, Rodriguez could have jumped on him early and ended it before the 4th. Diaz was clearly not in shape for this fight.
Well that’s fucking horrible. I thought he had recovered from that fight n just retired. It doesn’t specifically say that he was in that nursing home for 7 years does it?[/QUOTE]After his release from hospital it sounds like it was a constant back and forth from rehab to hospital and a bad decline with pneumonia, inability to walk and very little communication. I posted when he was released in 09’ and there was a glimmer of hope but it wasn’t to be. According to his brother he had been staying in North side nursing home in San Antonio but unclear when he initially went in. hindsight being 20-20 its clear the brutal Johnson did a lot of damage. The kid had a few wars prior and tragically it all caught up in the end. There are no bums in the ring, there are only fighters trying to make a living. We are always sobered for a while when this happens, its definitely a dark and sad reality check.