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By Ed Tolentino, Contributor
MANNY PACQUIAO may enjoy the
clear edge in firepower, but WBC lightweight champion David Diaz
appears to be the least perturbed.
With barely a few days left
before they meet on June 29 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
in Las Vegas, defending champion Diaz believes he has what it takes
to match PacMan on the power department.
“Manny Pacquiao has beaten many
great fighters, especially Mexicans like [Erik] Morales, [Marco
Antonio] Barrera, [Juan Manuel] Marquez, [Oscar] Larios and [Jorge]
Solis. That’s why they call him ‘The Mexicutioner,’” said
Diaz.
“I will shock the world and
beat Pacquiao at his own game, power for power. He’s a great
champion but he’s fighting in my division—lightweight. I have
worked too hard for this world title and I will not give it up to
him,” Diaz added.
Diaz sports a record of 34-1-1
with 17 knockouts. A native of Chicago, he turned pro in November
1996 and did not score a knockout win until his seventh paid
fight—a fourth round stoppage of Theon Holland in March 1998.
In 12 years in the fight game,
Diaz has carved a reputation as a hardnosed worker in the ring. He
loves to lunge in at opponents, unmindful of taking sharp counter
haymakers in return. Diaz’s wide-open attack has cost him his only
defeat—a February 2006 ninth round stoppage loss to Kendall Holt.
Diaz was able to floor Holt before capitulating.
“I feel that fight should not
have been stopped,” said Diaz. “I believe Holt was ready to go
in the last several rounds and his last shot was just a desperation
shot.”
Diaz has since won eight of his
next nine fights, the only blemish being the 12-round draw with
Ramazan Palyani in 2005 for the obscure IBA lightweight crown.
Questions continue to hound his power though, as Diaz has scored
only three knockout wins since the loss to Holt.
Diaz nonetheless demonstrated
power when he flattened Jose Armando Santa Cruz with one vicious
left uppercut in the 10th round to win the WBC lightweight title in
August 2006. In his first defense of the title in 2007, Diaz also
floored Erik Morales to post a decision win.
Against Pacquiao, Diaz likes his
chances of landing the big punch. He points to PacMan’s similar
thirst for slugging. In a wide-open brawl, Diaz believes anything
can happen.
“This is going to be an all-out
war,” said Diaz, who used to spar with Diego Corrales, one of the
hardest hitters in the lightweight class. “Manny is a
straight-forward fighter as I am. We’re going go to at it, but the
only thing that’s going to happen is I’m going to win.”
Diaz, 32, has been training like
a monk since April and claims to be deeply motivated. The WBC
champion has been guaranteed $800,000, easily the biggest purse of
his career. Diaz says he is happy with his purse and promises to
give the performance of his life.
“Everything is going very well
and on June 28 [June 29 in Manila], I’ll be 100 percent ready to
defend my title,” promised Diaz.
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