Juan Diaz is in training for his second fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, taking place on July 31 in Las Vegas. He expects the outcome to be different this time around.
Diaz, a confident man, understands that despite his loss by a KO in the ninth round, the April 2009 fight has been dubbed the "Fight of the Year" by ESPN.com, Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
For the former lightweight champion, the past year has been as much about his future as his present. And that future holds much more for him than more boxing.
Since his defeat by Marquez, the boxing side of his life-ledger shows he has a win (August 2009) and a loss (December 2009) to junior welterweight Paulie Malignaggi. Both fights were won on decisions, the first of which is still spoken about as very controversial.
Asked if he wants to step up in weight class in the future, like he did against Malignaggi, Diaz sounded firm. "When I fought at the 138-140 pound-level it didn't feel good to me."
A graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in political science, Diaz intends to go to law school. He has been training for that as hard as he has for any big fight.
His time in college ran concurrent with his biggest success as a boxer. Diaz told me, "At the peak of my career, two-three years ago, I was juggling up to four classes each semester. I attended night school and didn't find it difficult to rise to the top of my weight class at the same time."
In April 2010 he enrolled in a prep course prior to taking the June 7, 2010 Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), a standardized test similar to the SAT.
"I started taking the Kaplan review course and expected to take the test on June 7th this year. It was going great and I was dedicating my time to classes, the exercises they give you and the practice exams.
"Then in May, I started training for the second fight with Marquez." He added,"I look at this fight as perhaps the biggest of my career."
A funny thing happened on the way to the LSAT on June 7. "The LSAT practice tests and study were kicking my butt," said Diaz.
"In college, I had peers to help out, professors to consult and writing centers to assist. With the LSAT, you're on your own. I realized I couldn't do both and do them well."
Because the test requires mastering multiple disciplines in a tight time frame, Diaz said it suddenly felt familiar.
"I compare it to a fight," he said. "Every split second you have to make adjustments, size up your situation, make changes and follow through on your decisions."
So he did what he knew he had to. "I needed to give it my full attention," he said and as difficult as it might have been, he postponed the LSAT until October.
Diaz believes that the mental discipline of his college studies helped him as a fighter and the physical training for a boxing match gave him strength when it came to final exams and writing multiple term papers.
Because they seem to go hand in hand, Diaz doesn't want to just put all the LSAT material away. "I will pick up the study classes again after the fight with Marquez, but I will continue to do some drills on my own to keep the material fresh in my mind for after July 31."
At one time, Diaz held three different lightweight belts. Asked if he agrees with Floyd Mayweather Jr. that a professional boxer should be all about the money, Diaz couldn't disagree more.
"Belts add prestige to you as a fighter," he said. "It's not just about the money. It gives people a reason to watch. Without a belt, fans wouldn't know who was the champ."
The future for Diaz looks pretty darn good. With the LSAT out of the way this autumn, he will apply to law schools for entry in September 2011.
When asked if he really thought he could combine law school and high-level boxing, Diaz said no. "The school that I decide to attend will most likely offer me the opportunity to extend my time to report, for up to a year."
If he wins back a belt from Marquez, he'll have time to pick and choose his opponents for a couple of years.
Diaz reeled off the names of three schools close to home as his top choices: University of Houston Law Center, Texas Southern University School of Law and the South Texas College of Law.
When asked if he would venture away from his hometown if Harvard or Yale came calling, Diaz told me, "Definitely, it would be the opportunity of a lifetime."
He's going to make one heck of a lawyer.
Read Paula's national sports column at Examiner.com www.examiner.com/x-426-Sports-Examiner