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By: Hans Themistode
If you laid eyes on David Diamante, there appears to be a permanent smile plastered to his face. Why wouldn’t there be? Diamante is being paid handsomely for something he loves quite possibly more than anything in the world, calling fights.
Prior to almost every Matchroom Boxing broadcast, Diamante makes an appearance. His long, flowing locks dangle behind him while he walks through the ropes with a microphone in his hand. His perfectly tailored suits are draped over his slender frame as that previously mentioned smile glances across the arena. Moments later, the Brooklyn, New York native screams out “the fight starts now” before introducing the fighters who are set to be facing off that night in front of a jam-packed crowd.
Life was good for Diamante and he routinely showed appreciation and gratitude for the position he was in. And while he still considers himself to be one of the luckiest men in the world, it’s for entirely different reasons now.
On a cold Monday night in December, while riding his motorcycle in the downtown area of Brooklyn, Diamante’s life suddenly changed. Throughout his years as a ring announcer, Diamante had grown accustomed to watching boxers hit the canvas. Now, it was his turn.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Diamante found himself laying flat on the cold concrete. His motorcycle? Somewhere in a heap several feet away.
For those who have been fortunate enough to never experience a motorcycle wreck, describing what he went through is an arduous task. So, in an effort to understand what it was like in more common territory, Diamante broke down the event in simpler terms.
“It’s like if you’re walking and you slip on black ice, and you f*cking land on your ass,” said Diamante during an interview with Sports Illustrated. “You fall so fast, you can’t catch yourself. That’s what I remember, the bike just went out from under me.”
Despite being a recognizable figure, Diamante remembers lying in the middle of the road in excruciating pain before he was fortuitous enough to have someone stop and call 9-1-1.
As the long-time ring announcer was transported to NYU Langone Health in New York, he was handed a reprieve of sorts as doctors took a close look at his injuries.
“The spinal surgeon told me he had never seen this type of injury without paralysis. I’m lucky, man. I’m really f*cking lucky.”
Shortly after inspecting him, doctors began carefully putting together the broken pieces of Diamante’s body. Following five long hours, along with countless rods and screws – the surgery was a success. However, while doctors were effective in their surgical work, the damage from the wreck has left Diamante in incredible pain and indelible wounds all over his physique.
“It feels like I’m laying on boulders and rocks and knives and daggers. I can’t get away from it. It’s all up and down my spine, the scar on my back, it goes from the whole top of my neck to all the way to my [backside]. It feels like I can’t find a comfortable position. Everything hurts, man. Everything hurts.”
At the moment, Diamante is still bound to his bed, unable to walk or do some of the simpler things many of us take for granted. And although the road back to normality is a long one, Diamante isn’t eschewing from the hard work he’ll have to endure. In fact, he’s embracing it.
“I’m not walking is the unfortunate truth right now,” continued Diamante. “Now I do believe I will walk and I believe I’ll walk quite well, but it’s going to take rehab and it’s going to take time. There’s things like being able to brush my teeth, or wash my hands, or pick something up, or walk up a step, or anything that anyone does normally, I cannot do that now. I’m not even close to doing that now. It’s really hard to do anything when you’re in this much pain, so that has to subside. I don’t know how long it will take but I’m going to get through it. I will be back ringside again.”
