Glenn Robinson, manager and owner of Team Blackzilians today announced that decorated and highly respected boxing trainer Pedro Diaz is joining the Blackzilians and is now the Delray Beach-based team’s new coach for Boxing. Diaz is already training former UFC Champions Rashad Evans and Vitor Belfort out of JACO Hybrid Training Center, the home of the Blackzilians, and customizing programs for both athletes for their upcoming UFC fights, as well as the team’s entire roster of professional mixed martial artists.
“Its an honor and privilege to have a man of Pedro Diaz’s status working with the Blackzilians here at JACO Hybrid Training Center,” said Robinson. “He’s legendary and has trained some of the best athletes in the world to championship status. But he is also very humble for all the incredible things he has accomplished and fits right in with the Blackzilian. He is already living here in South Florida and is getting everything moving in the right direction.”
“I’m excited to be working with Glenn Robinson and the Blackzilians,” said Diaz. “I have been training elite athletes all my life, and not only do I feel comfortable at JACO Hybrid Training Center, I am already seeing positive results. The Blackzilians are great guys and incredible athletes and I am thrilled to be their new boxing coach.”
Diaz is mostly known as the boxing trainer credited with leading Miguel Cotto to a successful WBA title defense against Antonio Margarito in 2011. While not much was known about Diaz at the time, his academic and sports credentials were soon uncovered and lauded by media and fans alike.
His resume and sports accolades run long and deep. A native of Cuba, Diaz holds a Ph.D. in Pedagogical Sciences and is a former professor in University Sports in Cuba. He worked with the Cuban boxing team and as a coach in Olympic Championships, World Cups, Pan American Games, Goodwill Multiple tours of Europe and national and international tournaments of recognized quality.
He has given Olympic courses, seminars, workshops and clinics on the preparation of Olympic Competitors and the Theory and Methodology of Sports Training around the world including: Argentina, Brazil, China, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Ecuador, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Diaz also completed studies in theory and methodology in the training process of high performance athletes in areas of research such as:
- Selection of potential sports talents
- Control of Cuban boxers preparedness High Qualification
- Electrocardiographic studies on the Cuban national team boxers
- Individual work group of divisions in the Cuban Boxing
- Physical Modeling by groups of divisions in Cuban National Boxing Team
- Study of the physical layer Ecuador Olympic Scholars preparing for Beijing 2008
Diaz has also authored numerous publications including the following:
- Training and Technical Training Equipment
- Control Preparation. A requirement of the sport today
- Tests for the Special Control of High Qualification boxers
- Olympic Champions. Training, Control and Performance
- Train, Compete and Win
- High Performance. Science and Technology Management
For his performance in High Performance Sport, Diaz was awarded the Olympic Merit Medal. He was Technical Director of the Olympic High Performance Centre in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He also advised boxing in the Republic of China, winning for the first time the Asian Games, with four gold and four silver medals.
Diaz joins Blackzilians camp following the recent departure of former coach Mario Sperry. The complete coaching staff of the Blackzilians is now: Henri Hooft (Striking), Pedro Diaz (Boxing), Jorge Santiago (BJJ), Kamaru Usman (Wrestling), Roberto Flamingo (Striking) and Marcus Silva (Judo).
More changes are in effect with Team Blackzilians and another announcement will be made yet this week.
For more information about the Blackzilians, please visit Blackzilians.com and Follow @Blackzilians.
