Pacquiao and Diaz Make 'Lethal Combination' By Steve Kim (May 14, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback At Tuesday’s introductory press conference at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles to formally announce the June 28th bout between WBC lightweight titlist David Diaz and Manny Pacquiao - which is to take place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas - Diaz's trainer, Jim Strickland, compared his fighter's underdog status to that of Buster Douglas when he upset Mike Tyson in 1990. Which is a bit of a stretch, given that Douglas was about a 42-1 'dog, while Pacquiao is just a 4-1 betting favorite over Diaz. But still, not many pundits believe Diaz will hold on to his belt past his appointment with the Filipino icon. "Honestly, I just feel confident in myself," Diaz would tell Maxboxing on Tuesday afternoon. "I feel that I'm going to do a good job. I feel I'm going to win this fight." While he may give up speed, quickness and punching power to 'the Pac Man', he does seem to have an advantage in natural size and strength, having begun his career as a jr. welterweight as well as fighting as a welterweight on many occasions early in his professional career after representing the United States in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. But Diaz doesn't see it that way. "It just says that my diet was way off back then," he would say, laughing at the thought. "I think my diet was like Whoppers and double cheeseburgers and stuff like that. I didn't know how to eat, I was a little fat guy." He might have a point. As the fighters squared off for photographers, surprisingly it was Pacquiao - who won his first world title at 112-pounds - that seemed to be looking down at Diaz. For Pacquiao, who is coming off his razor-thin decision victory against Juan Manuel Marquez in March, the only thing he has to fear is having no fear at all, as complacency seems to be his biggest battle. Diaz, who is also promoted by Top Rank, was tabbed because he was deemed to be a bit limited and imminently beatable. "I'm taking this fight seriously because I don't want to underestimate David Diaz, he's a good fighter too. He's strong and I don't want to be overconfident," insisted Pacquiao, who can make history by becoming the first Asian boxer to win major titles in four weight classes. But his trainer Freddie Roach agrees that not overlooking Diaz is essential. "People tell him it's an easy fight and this guy’s been an Olympian, he has a great amateur background behind him, he's a world champion as a pro and those things don't happen by accident," said the trainer. "The thing is, the guy worked hard, he's a good fighter and that's the biggest thing with Manny. I gotta convince him it's not an easy fight." Roach believes that more than the size, facing a southpaw for the first time during their run together will be the biggest adjustment. "We got our work cut out for us, but I think if Manny digs down deep - we got seven weeks of training camp - he'll be right there by fight time." Pacquiao arrived in Los Angeles a bit later than Roach or his promoter Bob Arum would have liked, but they feel strongly that he comes into camp a focused fighter. "Yeah, because prior to this, when Manny was in the Philippines, he gambled, he drank and played music. But he's been going to school and he's been absolutely clean. So he's in great, great shape, in great mental shape. So perhaps he doesn't need as many weeks of extensive training as he had before," said Arum. "And also, the spacing of the fight is pretty close. So he didn't get out of condition, you see that. Now, he looks like he's in the same condition as when he left the States." According to Roach, his fighter - who arrived on Monday night from the Philippines - turned down his offer to take Tuesday off and get over the effects of jet-lag. Pacquiao insisted that they get some work in at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood after the press conference. As they get into sparring, southpaws, big and small, from Freddie Norwood to Victor Ortiz, will be brought in. The trainer says that their game plan will call for Pacquiao to utilize his quickness from the outside to outbox Diaz. But Diaz isn't buying any of it. "Freddie Roach is just trying to lay out a plan to make me not think that he's going to come in. But he's actually going to come in for the fight. It's a diversion. Freddie Roach is a smart person, smart trainer. But if he does do that, I think it's going to benefit me; honestly, it will benefit me. I just have a feeling and I'm hoping he does that," said Diaz, who hails from Chicago, Illinois. Diaz believes Pacquiao is much like a race car - much more effective going forward than in reverse. "Going backwards," he explains, "he's not that good. So if he wants to box and move back, oh, thank you." On the other hand, Pacquiao is facing an opponent this time around who doesn't bring the intricacies of Marquez, a counterpunching specialist. "I think it's easier to hit Diaz than Marquez because the style of Diaz is similar to my style," surmised Pacquiao. With that, Diaz-Pacquiao should be a fun fight for as long as it lasts. Diaz promises, "All-out action fight, pre-4th of July fireworks." UNDERCARD The undercard for this pay-per-view event will have WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano facing Mario Santiago, a heavyweight tilt featuring Tye Fields and Monte Barrett and lightweight Humberto Soto. You gotta hand it to Arum, as he was extolling the virtues of Fields (a big guy with small talent) he was able to keep a straight face and not giggle or laugh, even once. Now that's a real pro. WORTHWHILE BELT Diaz is slated to make around $800,000 for the Pacquiao fight, which he basically earned by having the WBC belt. Without that belt, Pacquiao and Arum don't even look his way and he certainly doesn't make that kind of money. Now, again, tell me how these belts are supposedly 'meaningless'? Don't let The Ring rhetoric fool you. MID-WEEK FLURRIES In the wake of all this controversy surrounding Pat Putnam, I just want to set the record straight, I never served in the Korean War, but I am Korean - that I can prove.....So with CBS featuring EliteXC on the same day Mosley-Judah was to have taken place on pay-per-view, can we say Judah was Kimbo Slice'd?....I love what Mike D'Antoni has brought to the NBA (as he has helped make it watchable, again) but does he have the parts to make it work in New York? BTW, someone photo-shopped this, but doesn't D'Antoni really resemble the 'Pringles' logo?....The Boston-Cleveland series is perhaps the worst basketball I've seen since the Dunder-Mifflin office workers took on the warehouse guys in that game of hoops in season 2 of 'the Office' (Anyone remember that classic line Michael Scott said to Oscar as he volunteered to play?).....WBO jr. middleweight titlist Sergiy Dzinziruk is a pretty good fighter. I saw his tough 12-round decision over Lukas Konecny. 'Dizzy Diz' is your classic, upright southpaw Euro that likes to box on the outside, but he showed he wasn't completely averse to getting a bit dirty on the inside....On the other hand, Zsolt Erdei engaged in what I call a 'six-pack' fight against DeAndrey Abron in recently defending his WBO 175-pound strap. What's a 'six-pack fight'? It's one where you need a six-pack of beer to get you through it because it's so dreadful. Erdei may hold the linear claim to the light heavyweight title, but he's far from the best light heavyweight out there.....Here, here, to Top Rank for picking up the parking on Tuesday. Last time I covered a presser at the Westin Bonaventure it cost me an arm-and-half-a-leg. Now that's promoting at its best.... For Questions or Comments E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums