Nick Diaz opts out of Pro Boxing bout to focus on an "opportunity of a lifetime" in MMA

Following much speculation, rumors, and reports, it appears Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz will not be making a return to professional boxing after all. According to a press release issued by Don Chargin, who was expected to promote a bout between Diaz and former IBF Super-Middleweight champ Jeff Lacy, the Stockton Bad Boy has been presented with an "opportunity of a lifetime" and will remain focused on his MMA career.

"Nick is a good kid and a very exciting fighter. Right now he has an opportunity of a lifetime as it pertains to his MMA career. 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."

Cesar Gracie, Diaz's manager, added: "There are some people that have said we were just posturing to go into professional boxing and they don't understand that this thing is something we had been working on since 2009. It 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. 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."

UFC President Dana White recently met with Diaz to discuss his MMA future. Though no details on the meeting have been revealed, Diaz had previously insisted that only a fight with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre would hault his pro-boxing plans - a bout that Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com says was confirmed by Chargin for December:

O shit... hope this happens

why, look at diaz's past, he loses to dominate wrestlers, he doesnt check leg kicks, its gonna be one sided

exactly i wanna see GSP shut him up.

Diaz will win. Diaz will intimidate GSP and GSP will be shooting for td's all fight. Diaz has all the advantages besides wrestling. If GSP cant establish the stand up, the td attempts will be unaffective. Everybody and they momma know GSP gameplans towards weaknesses. So any real mma fan can figure out that Diaz will be working on his wrestling and td defense. If diaz trains correctly he'll win the fight before he steps in the octagon! I Guarantee!!

GSP will try to make it a boring fight were Diaz will try to make the fight exciting. I think we'll actually see GSP get bood for the first time!!

^^^ no way.. GSP will control the fight for sure, Diaz only chance IMO is to slap on some gracie black belt jiu jitsu

How can he when he knows his stand up is not on Diaz's level?? GSP will get exposed!!

Cmon Quad, u think his only chance is bjj. U must dont watch to many fights. There's no way in hell u can say that GSP's stand up is better than Diaz's. GSP has kicks in his tool kit, but thats not enough when a guy is all up in yo face. Diaz will treat dude!

i think Diaz boxing will will just get him into trouble. He lands punches yes but hes always leaving himself open. GSP will stand and move long enough to set up TDs, then hld him down hopefully. And eek out another decesion like hes so used to doing.

gsp has way better striking, all diaz has is boxing and wide punches, gsp has the better stand up he has kicks strikes, and he is better overall on the ground, bj couldnt sub him, jake couldnt sub him so diaz is not gonna be able to, its a one sided affair

Nobody is doing there homework. Its definitely not one sided!!

diaz loses to wrestlers, sherk sanchez, all held him down and stayed outa his subs, diaz hasnt faced a top ten ww in a long time, the level of competition that gsp faced and is the level of competition that diaz has faced is far different, daley, maybe number 9 or ten, noons not even in top ten, cyborg hes ok but not top ten, marius zaramokis, not top ten, lets look at gsp, shields number 2, koscheck number 4, hardy at the time he was a top ten, alves was in the top ten at the time stopping hughes, bj penn, well thats bj penn, diaz hasnt faced anyone on the level of gsp, gsp has faced way better fighters than diaz hence why diaz is number 5 or 6, shields is way way better than diaz, u really think diaz is gonna stop gsp? diaz hasnt earned the shot for the belt in the ufc, he needs to prove himself, he is fighting one dimensional fighters over in sf and there all weak in the mental aspect of the game, no matter how much diaz talks gsp is not gonna get angry, and i saw photos of the shields fight, those "punches" that jake threw were actually pokes, jake is known for keeping a open hand out while defending punches, gsp rarely gets hit, he is not the most elusive fighter but his punches are so much faster than diaz, they are straighter so diaz wide punches will not connect, diaz doesnt check leg kicks at all, he cant stop gsp takedowns, gsp can stay outa subs he has proved time and time and time again with shields bj, diaz will not win he doesnt deserve the shot, because he hasnt faced the level of competition that gsp has where as shields did he fought everyone in the world,

Diaz is a shit cunt, GSP is gonna fuck him up!

^^ Wise words

WAR DIAZ, I cant wait!

hmmm who knows anything can happen