Ring Announcer David Diamante Says He’ll Return Saturday
Some good news for a Monday, as prominent Matchroom Boxing ring announcer David Diamante updated his status after a December serious motorcycle accident in New York left him with a fractured spine, broken ribs and injured knee. Diamante said in a social media post that he will return to work for Saturday night’s Matchroom main event battle between Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Martinez in San Diego.
The 50 year old Diamante took to instagram early Monday to give the update and thank those concerned for him,
As we wrote previously, Diamante was involved motorcycle crash in Brooklyn on December 26th where he says he simply lost control of the bike under what were icy conditions on a cold New York afternoon under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
His motorcycle crashed into a parked SUV with Diamante having skidded with it on the hard concrete, before crashing into the wreckage. As he wrote in his own words:
“I slid & slammed into a parked van, cracking my body in half. I was in critical condition. My spine was fractured in 4 places & I suffered multiple broken ribs in addition to a severe knee injury,” Diamante wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve been injured before. But this was different. I’ve lived an incredibly full life with few regrets. There aren’t many things I fear, but being paralyzed & unable to care for myself is one of them.
When people ask me now how I’m doing, I say I’m OK. The pain is always there. Doing simple things that people take for granted like putting on socks, sitting in a chair, or carrying groceries is suddenly very challenging. I took myself off social media because my condition was extraordinarily painful. More importantly, I needed to focus fully on the healing process during this critical time of recovery. I promised that I would recover from this injury faster than anyone ever had. And I meant it.”
Diamante had just returned to the U.S. from working the late December Matchroom Boxing boxing card in Manchester, England. That featured Jospeh Parker decisioning Derek Chisora in the Heavyweight main event.
Diamante has become Eddie Hearn’s primary ring announcer over the past four years for his shows in the U.K./Europe and in the USA.
And the final bit of update he shared Monday morning was the most encouraging update,
Every gift, every letter, every call & message that I’ve received has been meaningful to me. I’m truly grateful for all of them. My heart is filled with gratitude.
I’m still learning my new normal. I’m recovering & growing in the process. Learning how to walk again despite the intense pain has been one of the most significant accomplishments of my life.
I’m thrilled to share with you the news that I’ll be entering the ring again March 5 to announce the World Championship fight in San Diego. Going through the ropes – as physically challenging as it will be – will mean more to me than you can imagine.”
Gonazlez vs. “El Rey” (the King) Martinez is expected to be a thrilling smaller weight main event on DAZN streaming Saturday.
A veteran broadcaster of over 25 years, T.J. has been a fight fan longer than that! He’s the host of the “Big Fight Weekend” podcast and will go “toe to toe” with anyone who thinks that Marvin Hagler beat Sugar Ray Leonard or that Tyson, Lennox Lewis or Deontay Wilder could have beaten Ali!
