Nick Diaz's Boxing Promoter: Diaz Has 'Opportunity of a Lifetime' in MMA

[Kemal]

In what will only stir up more rumors of a Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz megafight, Diaz's boxing promoter Don Chargin on Monday afternoon issued a press release stating that Nick Diaz will stick with MMA "as it has been deemed that it be in Nick's best interest to focus on his primary combat sport and profession."

Strikeforce welterweight titleholder Diaz, who is allowed to box under his Strikeforce agreement, had planned on boxing Jeff Lacy in the fall if he doesn't receive a shot at UFC champion St-Pierre.

"Right now he has an opportunity of a lifetime as it pertains to his MMA career," Chargin said. "While I don't doubt that Nick and his team were serious about taking the big step into boxing, it only makes sense for him to finish what he started and see how far he can go in MMA before he does anything in boxing. It's all about timing ... we began these discussions over two years ago and nobody would have imagined the type of demand that there currently is for Nick as a mixed martial artist."

Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie also left a statement in the release, denying that Diaz's camp used the boxing fight to gain leverage for a St-Pierre fight and although he didn't mention St-Pierre, pointed at a special opportunity for Diaz.

"[Boxing] wasn't just out of nowhere but at this point in time, there's a certain chance that comes along once in a very long while and it only makes sense to stick to MMA as of right now," Gracie said. "Nick's been working really hard to get to this point in his MMA career and it wouldn't make sense for us to make that transition into boxing right now. If this were a couple months ago or if certain fights had played out differently, we'd definitely be ready to go into boxing, but that's not how it played out. Don Chargin is a great boxing promoter and he understood our dilemma completely and I thank him for that."

Last week, Diaz met wlth UFC president Dana White to discuss his MMA future, but both parties have remained tight-lipped about the meeting. Oddsmakers over the weekend already began putting St-Pierre as an early favorite against Diaz.

[Surrender]

Nick Diaz vs. GSP on the 10th of december UFC 140!!

[Redwhitewarrior]

BRING IT ON !!!

[Sadix]

dat wordt echt een top match!!

mijn 2 favorieten tegen elkaar. Toch heb ik liever dat Diaz wint.

[Redwhitewarrior]

dat wordt echt een top match!!

mijn 2 favorieten tegen elkaar. Toch heb ik liever dat Diaz wint.

Precies dit!

[Biiyen]

YESSSSS Diaz Vs GSP! Ik hoop op Diaz in ieder geval. Betere match-up kun je niet krijgen.

[Joshuaa]

FOCK JAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

[Leventdepevent]

yieeeehaaa WAR GSP

[marcelt]

Liever niet op boksregels, gewoon mma liever. War GSP!

[Ceyfun]

zal dit gevecht echt plaatsvinden @ ufc 140????

[Briant]

GSP wint dit. Ben wel fan van Diaz, maar hij zal het niet redden tegen GSP helaas.

[universele]

Wanneer deze pot er komt ben ik zeker voor baas Diaz!!!

[kooivechter]

GSP wint dit. Ben wel fan van Diaz, maar hij zal het niet redden tegen GSP helaas.

denk het ook dit wordt gewoon een UD voor GSP. Iedereen wil wel dat GSP een keer echt weerstand krijgt in een wedstrijd.
Diaz zal GSP zeker laten vechten en GSP zal het zeker niet cadeau krjigen

[Pulvercris]

Liever niet op boksregels, gewoon mma liever. War GSP!

Wie heeft het over boksregels? Dat is nergens vermeld. ;-)

[Kemal]

Dana White: GSP Won't Fight in Montreal, Roadblock In Way of Diaz Fight

LAS VEGAS -- Talk of a Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz, champion vs. champion fight is premature, UFC president Dana White said on Wednesday. Furthermore, St-Pierre, the UFC welterweight champ, is not likely to fight on a rumored December card in Montreal.

Buzz regarding a St-Pierre vs. Diaz fight has circulated since Diaz began campaigning for it shortly after his April win over Paul Daley, and then again after St-Pierre defeated Jake Shields at UFC 129. Last week, several news sites reported the two were likely to meet in December.

On Wednesday, White shot down the likelihood of the possibility.

"I think it is a given that he's not [going to be fighting in Montreal]," White said when asked about it. "I don't know where the hell that came from."

A possible fight with Diaz is complicated by contractual issues. Diaz is a Strikeforce fighter, and though he doesn't have a contract with Showtime, pulling him out of the Showtime rotation may cause some difficulties with Zuffa's new cable TV partner. Though White didn't go into specifics about that, or any of the issues that would preclude Diaz from fighting St-Pierre, he said the fight was not close to happening just yet. When asked to give odds on the fight's possibility, White shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "If I gave you a percentage, I'd be speaking out of turn. I honestly don't know. Nothing has been worked out. Nothing has been talked about."

Diaz was in Las Vegas last week, and the two sides took part in a meeting. White said the meeting came about after he heard boxing promoter Don Chargin talking about the possibility of Diaz boxing Jeff Lacy.

"Everyone was like, 'What's he going to do? Is he going to box? What do you think about him boxing?'" he said. "I was like, 'I think I'm going to sit down and talk to him, and talk him out of boxing. That's what I think.' And that's what happened."

When pressed on whether Diaz is altogether out of the picture, White stopped short of that, but reiterated that several issues have to be worked through before that fight could materialize.