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By Ed C. Tolentino, Contributor
LIKE a termite working its way into a mansion,
Manny Pacquiao destroyed World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight
champion David Diaz Sunday brick by brick.
By the time Diaz answered the bell for the ninth
round, the American was on the verge of a major collapse, his
foundation having been reduced to paper maché. True enough,
Pacquiao waited for the right time to throw the wrecking ball. It
came by way of a left hook that landed smack on the chin of a
recklessly lunging Diaz.
When a bloodied Diaz fell on his back, the
demolition job was complete. Exercising fistic euthanasia, referee
Vic Drakulich did not bother to count and waived the fight over.
“He [Pacquiao] is really fast,” said
Diaz, whose face resembled a Halloween mask. “The cuts did not
bother me. It’s second nature. I was telling the doctors I can see
perfectly.
“I thought he would get a little tired
in the end. I thought [my strategy] was working. But then he comes
in with a good shot. I didn’t see the [knockout] punch.”
Diaz entered the fight with a reputation as a no
nonsense brawler. The battle plan for the Chicago native was quite
simple: Reduce the bout into a toe-to-toe slugfest and hopefully
wear down Pacquiao in the homestretch.
Unfortunately for Diaz, Pacquiao had other
things in mind. The Filipino mesmerized Diaz right in the first
round by unleashing a pesky right jab. The jab, which had been
virtually non-existent in Pacquiao’s previous fights, prevented
Diaz from getting close to Pacquiao. Worse, the right jab helped
Pacquiao set up his dreaded left hand.
Pacquiao was constantly on the move, never
staying in front of Diaz. The Filipino acted like a graceful
matador, eluding with grace the bull-like rushes of Diaz. With Diaz
in disarray, Pacquiao would retaliate with flurries.
Diaz was looking for a fellow brawler. What he
found in Pacquiao was a ballerina with a homicidal punch.
“That’s the best I’ve ever seen
Manny box,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer. “He did
everything we asked him to.”
The post-fight statistics compiled by Compubox
underlined Pacquiao’s masterful performance. The new WBC
lightweight champ landed 230 of his 788 punches to Diaz’s 90 of
463. Pacquiao threw 36 more punches per round and landed nearly 16
more.
Pacquiao averaged nearly 88 punches per
round—38 percent higher than the lightweight average of 64—
while Diaz averaged 51—20 percent fewer than the norm.
Although a southpaw like Diaz, Pacquiao did not
neglect his right hand. Pacquiao threw 298 right jabs (33 per round
and nine above the lightweight average) and landed 50 for 17 percent
accuracy. Diaz only fired 144 (16 per round and eight below the
divisional norm).
Pacquiao wisely mixed his offense. He doubled up
on the right hand, throwing it as a jab and then as a hook. The
double right hands would set up the left hook that slashed its way
into Diaz’s face like a knife. Diaz was cut on the nose, near the
right ear and above his right eye.
Pacquiao was a Picasso with gloves and Diaz’s
mug provided the ideal canvas.
Indeed, the ninth round stoppage for PacMan was
nothing short of a work of art.
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