|
By Ed C. Tolentino, Contributor
WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) David Diaz may be a
huge underdog going into his June 29 (Manila time) title defense
against Filipino Manny Pacquiao at the Mandalay Bay and Resort and
Casino in Las Vegas, but the Chicago native is counting on his
penchant to survive major tests to help him pull through.
“You can’t count David out,” said American
promoter Bob Arum.
Diaz, who turned 32 on June 7, is no stranger to
hurdling great odds. Growing up in Chicago, he vividly remembers
being ridiculed for being a fat boy.
“One sixty-five,” said Diaz, when asked how
much he weighed as a youngster.
Diaz first laced on the gloves at age eight.
More than shedding the extra pounds around his waist, he made the
foray into boxing to earn the respect of his peers.
Respect did not come easy. As an amateur, Diaz
won a handful of amateur titles. Friends continued to belittle him,
claiming the trophies he brought home may have originated from the
trophy factory where David’s father worked.
“He [my father] wasn’t an educated person,
but he was a very hard worker. I think I got that from him,” said
Diaz.
Diaz persevered and proved good enough to win
four Chicago Gloves and three National Golden Gloves championships.
Dismissed as a one-dimensional fighter, Diaz surprised many when he
earned a berth on the 1996 United States Olympic team by beating
future world champion Zab Judah. Diaz went as far as the second
round of the Olympics.
Diaz turned pro in November 1996. He looked
pedestrian early in his career and eventually decided to take a
hiatus from the sport after beating Steve Larrimore in September
2000.
Diaz was drifting into oblivion when he met his
future wife Tanya in a karaoke bar. After almost two years of
inactivity, he laced on the gloves again, determined to prove to his
new source of inspiration that he can be a better man.
David married Tanya in 2003 and while the former
rebuilt his boxing career, Tanya worked as an administrative
assistant and part-time real estate agent to help make ends meet.
Diaz diligently worked his way to the top of the
ladder, and by the start of 2005 he had extended his unbeaten ledger
to 26 fights. Just when he appeared to be on a roll, Diaz’s was
stopped in nine rounds by Kendall Holt. The 5’6” Diaz, who gave
away three inches in height to Holt, succumbed to his foe’s
straight punches. Diaz went down fighting though, flooring Holt in
the seventh stanza before capitulating.
Diaz found himself back to square one after the
loss, but rebound from the debacle he did. Having fought primarily
as a junior welterweight (140 lbs.), he decided to shed off the
excess pounds and campaign in the lightweight class (135 lbs.).
Leaner and meaner, Diaz finally started making some headway.
In August 2006, Diaz stopped the heavily-favored
Jose Armando Santa Cruz to win recognition as interim WBC
lightweight champion. Santa Cruz led after nine completed rounds,
87-84 and 88-83 (twice) on the official scorecards, and, according
to CompuBox, had outlanded Diaz, 284 to 129. Nevertheless, Diaz
delivered the punches that counted the most—including an uppercut
that flattened Santa Cruz in the 10th round.
Ten years after he turned pro, Diaz was finally
a world champ.
“I left boxing for a couple of years. In the
beginning, I really didn’t love the sport,” admitted Diaz. “ I
took a good layoff, then I felt I needed to get back and do it the
right way. [Today] I feel a lot stronger and have a lot more
dedication than I did when I first started.”
Diaz’s new found resolve will be put to a test
when he takes on Pacquiao, a three-division champion who has lost
only once in the last eight years. Even Diaz admits that he is in
awe of the Filipino.
“I’d love to be as popular as Manny is and
get the big fights he’s getting, especially because he’s doing
it the right way. He’s earned everything. He’s a great fighter,
he’s shown me nothing but respect and he’s a good guy,” said
Diaz.
Diaz can be as big as Pacquiao, that is, if he
gets to find a way to beat PacMan. It will not be easy, but Diaz
insists he is ready for the biggest gut check of his career.
“We are going to bring the title back to
Chicago, and hopefully, well, the Filipino people are going to have
to forgive me,” said Diaz.
|
