David Diamante, the most prominent boxing presenter today.
Photo: Billie Weiss/Getty Images
David Diamante’s love for boxing is radiant and that is surely why when the man with the endless hair addresses the audience from the ring to introduce the fights, he gets fans excited and sharing that passion.
“The fight starts now!” With this phrase, Diamante ignites the fans before the big boxing fights as very few ring announcers have been able to do.
“I am obviously a big fan of this sport from day one; I didn’t get into boxing for money; I did it for love, “said Diamante in a chat with La Opinion during the weekend of the Canelo Álvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol fight in Las Vegas.
Born in Baltimore in 1971, Diamante grew up a fan of Sugar Ray Leonard. He was the legendary fighter who strongly influenced the announcer’s life.
“I made a lot of money as a DJ and I was doing well, but I love boxing a lot, I even practiced boxing, so I wanted to stay involved with the sport,” Diamante explained. about his trajectory. “Sometimes you have very good ring announcers, but they do other things and for me the number one passion is boxing, it always has been and hopefully that is projected to the fans.”
Below is the chat in English with Diamante, who said that he will consider using his head shout in Spanish, something he has already done at events in Mexico: “The fight starts now!”.
David Diamante grew up admiring Sugar Ray Leonard: “He had balls!”
“I love Sugar Ray Leonard, because first of all I lived in the area around him when I was a kid. And this man had the speed, the power, the precision; he could box, he could fight, he did different things, he faced everyone. He had eggs! … He had a very strong heart,” he recalled about one of his idols.
Diamante mentions the classics Johnny Addle and Ed Derian as the ring announcers that most influenced him and in fact the 50-year-old man, when he introduces the fighters in the ring, repeats their last names as the classics of the profession.
Serrano vs. Taylor, a special night for Diamante
And speaking of legends who passed through Madison Square Garden in its golden age, David Diamante was the presenter in the mythical arena for the megafight on April 30 between the Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano and the Irish Katie Taylor, a memorable battle.
“I’m going to tell you that that fight really was something special. We were very lucky with an amazing night and what I loved was all the solidarity of the fighters who joined: Laila Ali, Christy Martin, Cris Cyborg, Claressa Shields, Mikaela Mayer, Seniesa Estrada… All these fighters were there to support their fellow boxers,” Diamante commented.
“It was one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever been in, it was very special. I have had to be in very big and special fights, but that was very special. It was almost like as well as a competition, it was a celebration.”
The famous presenter admires the culture of Mexican boxing
David Diamante, who in addition to presenting fights for more than 15 years, has in his biography appearances in movies and TV shows, he surrendered to the greats of Mexican boxing and Aztec boxing in general.
“There are many, too many to be able to name them. Of course you have the greats like (Julio César) Chávez, (Salvador) Sánchez, Chiquita (González), Finito (López)… many greats from the past… (Marco Antonio) Barrera. They are many. But a lot of times it’s the local fighters, the ones who aren’t in the spotlight.”
And he added: “When you go to the local gyms in Mexico and they are fighting, you see the local fights because there is such a boxing culture there. There is a lot of respect for fighters and you see so much heart in these guys. It’s more the culture, and that’s why the world appreciates the Mexican fighters, I appreciate the Mexican fighters and the fans because they know what they are seeingThey know, they’re smart, and it makes a big difference when fans really know what they’re seeing.”
Diamante has not cut her hair for 34 years
In addition to the recorded phrases and his passion in the ring, Diamante is characterized by her impressive hair, which is so long that when he lets it go, his hair reaches the height of his ankles.
When asked about it, he explained that he has not cut his hair since 1988, that is, for 34 years.
“It’s a long story, but basically I haven’t cut it since 1988. It’s a promise, it was a change I made in my life, that I said I wasn’t going to cut my hair and I haven’t.“, said.
Why such a promise? Diamante said that will be a topic for another interview.
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