Undefeated bantamweight prospect Cesar Diaz died in a car crash over Thanksgiving weekend. He was 20 years old.
The accident in his hometown of Palmdale, California, crashing into a tree during the evening of November 24. Diaz's girlfriend remained hospitalized as of November 25.
Diaz was signed to Golden Boy Promotions since 2016 and the company released a statement on November 25 lamenting his untimely death.
"Everyone at Golden Boy Promotions is heartbroken over the passing of Cesar Diaz over Thanksgiving weekend. As talented and aggressive as he was in the ring, anyone who met Cesar knew how kind and nice he was outside of it. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cesar's girlfriend, who remains in critical condition, and his entire family."
Diaz was a successful amateur boxer, amassing 104-11 record, winning the 2012 Silver Gloves National Championships, the 2015 Adidas National PAL title and the Desert Showdown in 2009, 2013 and 2015. He holds amateur victories over 2016 U.S, Olympiads Shakur Stevenson, who won a silver medal at those Olympics, and Carlos Balderas. At one point, Diaz was ranked No. 3 in the 123-pound USA Boxing rankings.
The 20-year-old turned pro in 2016, winning all three of his pro fights that year. In 2017, Diaz won all four of his fights, improving his record to 7-0. In his last fight, Diaz knocked out Pedro Melo in the fifth round on November 2. That fight took place on the Juan Carlos Abreu vs. Jesus Soto Karass Golden By Boxing on ESPN card.
