Diaz to smoke more weed, give boxing a go

Nick Diaz is a good boxer for an MMA fighter. Now we’ll get to see if the reverse is also true. Less than one week after Diaz skipped a mandatory drug test and was pulled from Saturday’s Strikeforce event that would’ve seen him fight for the promotion’s inaugural welterweight belt the 26-year-old has signed a pro boxing contract.

Diaz, who holds a medical marijuana certificate, must be smoking some good ganja.

Boxing promoter, matchmaker and manager Don Chagrin made the announcement in a press release, according to MMA Junkie, although no date or opponent for his first fight were given.

“I know the signing of a mixed-martial-arts fighter might be considered controversial by many boxing fans across the world,” Chagrin stated in the release. “When the subject of mixed martial arts vs. boxing arises, it always comes down to the boxer winning a boxing match easily and vice versa for MMA. However, after having seen the replays of Diaz’s fights over the course of his career, I truly believe that this kid has what it takes to really make for some very entertaining fights within boxing. While some would state that he’s merely a slugger possessing a good chin and a heavy work rate, there’s something about his [rhythm] and fighting intelligence that really caught my eye.”

Okay, sure, but I’m also certain Chagrin sees an opportunity to cash in on a fighter with some (limited) marquee value as well as the promotional advantage of framing the fight as a “let’s see how good these MMA fighters really are” kind of deal.

Granted, Diaz has boxed professionally once before, more than four years ago, when he picked up a four-round unanimous-decision victory over Alfonso Rocha (now 7-4, though his pro debut came against Diaz).

Diaz’s MMA trainer, Cesar Gracie, says that Diaz wants to become a two-sport champion. Although I think that’s impossible to do unless he becomes a one-sport champion first, and bailing on a drug test and missing a title shot, well, good luck with that.