Coachella boxer Antonio Diaz is getting a shot at a guy who has been dubbed Oscar de la Hoya's golden child.

Diaz (46-5-1, 29 knockouts), the rugged veteran, has signed on to fight Victor Ortiz (24-2-1, 19 KOs)), who ESPN named the prospect of the year in 2008 and who de la Hoya said could be the next “one.”

Diaz-Ortiz is on the undercard of the Juan Diaz-Paulie Malignaggi rematch in Chicago.

The fight will be Dec. 12, the same day that Cathedral City boxer Timothy Bradley will defend his WBO title against Lamont Peterson at The Show in Rancho Mirage.

Bradley and Peterson will host a press conference at noon today at Agua Caliente. It is open to the public.

“And the good thing is it's coming a couple days before Christmas,” Antonio Diaz joked. “I just pray everything goes as it's planned. We planned some stuff before the other fight and things didn't go as we wanted.”

Originally, Diaz was supposed to fight former champion Zab Judah on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight in September. However, Judah pulled out two weeks before the fight.

“A victory against (Ortiz) would be a lot better,” Diaz said. “Zab Judah is a name fighter, but as you know, he's already on the downside. He's not what he used to be when he was younger. This guy is a young puppy, a young prospect coming up.”

While Judah was a former champion, Ortiz was supposed to be the next great fighter, as de la Hoya tabbed him.

De la Hoya knew firsthand as he suffered a black eye from Judah during sparring before the Golden Boy's bout against Manny Pacquiao in 2008.

Ortiz lost his last bout to Marcos Rene Maidana when the doctor stopped the fight for a cut over Ortiz's right eye.

“What can I say, he was a tough fighter until his last fight, when he was exposed,” Diaz said. “Now we know exactly what to do to stop him.

“He can't take pressure, he can't fight under pressure. He's a tough kid, but he doesn't have the experience yet to be or beat a top fighter.”

At 33, Diaz will be 11 years older than his opponent. But he's not concerned with age.

“It's what (brothers) Julio and Joel said the other day, you're as old as you feel,” Diaz said. “Now I feel good. When I'm sparring, I'm able to keep up with these little fast guys. I've changed my fight plan from a warrior to a smarter fighter.”

Antonio Diaz had a three-year layoff from boxing before returning in July 2008. Diaz won all four fights in his comeback, but it was his last victory that caught the attention of Golden Boy Promotions, which is owned by de la Hoya and will promote the fight.

Antonio Diaz defeated previously undefeated Javier Castro in Tijuana in March. That's when people started to take notice, and Diaz first was offered Judah, and now Ortiz.

“If they think Antonio is done, they'll be in for a big surprise,” said Joel Diaz, Antonio's trainer. “HBO approved Antonio Diaz. They turned down four other fighters. HBO doesn't put just any fight together. It has to be a good fight they want to see, and Antonio was one of their chosen ones.”