July 3, 2010 – I am the son of Mexican immigrants who is a professional boxer with a college diploma. I have earned three world titles in my career and I am training to fight Juan Manuel Marquez for the Unified Lightweight World Championship on July 31. I also own a construction business with my brother and am taking the necessary steps to become a lawyer.
This is because my parents had the foresight to move to the United States so that I could have these opportunities. As we celebrate the Fourth of July, it is important to remember that we live in a country where anything is possible and the “America Dream” is real.
As a young boy, I saw the troubles my immigrant family and friends faced while working to become citizens and acquire the same unalienable rights that Americans often take for granted. There are millions of Mexican immigrants in this country and I know that there are others out there like me who are on the brink of greatness, and could even be the missing link in solving some of this country’s toughest problems.
We have reached a crossroads in the way our country handles immigration. In some ways, it seems as though we are taking a step backward with the passage of Arizona SB 1070 which I feel violates basic rights. Despite my feelings about this specific law, I believe in our system of government. I believe in the people’s right to vote and to choose who represents them. I believe in checks and balances.
After my days in the ring are over, I want to be a successful lawyer who champions rights for the people. I want to contribute to our democracy and pay my good fortune forward to those who are seeking the opportunities that our Founding Fathers had in mind. I want to help people see that the “American Dream” is not a thing of the past, but a thing of the present and I hope that the Fourth of July is a reminder of how lucky we are to live in this country.
Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz
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Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz is a 26-year old former Three-Time Lightweight World Champion who is training to fight current Unified Lightweight World Champion Juan Manuel Marquez in “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” on July 31 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas live on HBO Pay-Per-View