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Philippines, 13 May 2008 |
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DIAZ VOWS TO SHOCK THE WORLD By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Thu, 08 May 2008  World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz has vowed “to shock the world on June 28” when he battles Filipino ring icon and reigning WBC super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Meantime, in a conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today over the weekend, Pacquiao conceded that Diaz “is strong and we cannot be overconfident. We have to train hard.” Pacquiao has been working out without fanfare in Cebu, his hometown of General Santos City and at the Wild Card gym of former business manager Rod Nazario in BF Homes, Paranaque and has indicated he “can’t take Diaz lightly.” For relaxation, if chess can be considered relaxation considering the tremendous demands on the mind, Pacquiao plays with Nazario who is regarded as an accomplished player.. Well-known TV boxing analyst Moy Lainez, a member of the original Team Pacquiao believes that six weeks of the grueling training regimen that Pacquiao follows under celebrated trainer Freddie Roach would be enough to take care of Diaz and help Pacquiao win a fourth world title. Diaz has begun a promotional tour in the absence of Pacquiao who is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles on Saturday, meeting over lunch with the media at the Mi Tierra Café in San Antonio, Texas and then traveling to downtown Phoenix, Arizona for a similar get-together where chief trainer Jim Strickland will reportedly outline a battle plan for Pacquiao in their “Lethal Combination” showdown. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum organized the promotional tour which would include stops in San Diego, Denver and San Francisco to help push the HBO pay-per-view numbers. Roman Modrowski of The Chicago Sun Times said Arum had disclosed that Pacquiao (46-3-2, 35 KO’s) was guaranteed to make $3 million while Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KO’s) would earn $800,000. Both purses might go up depending on the number of PPV buys. Diaz was quoted as saying “I am definitely happy with the purse.” He received $350,000 for his successful title defense against Erik “El Terrible Morales last August. The 135 pound champion added, “this is a big fight and I feel I can come out on top.” Diaz revealed that Arum had proposed a trip to the Philippines to promote the fight but the champion turned it down because of his experience prior to the Morales fight when he lost a few days of training because of travel problems to Mexico and didn’t want to face the same potential problems while preparing for the biggest fight of his career. Former NBN TV newcaster/reporter Romy Sajer told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that the handlers of Diaz have so far refused to allow Filipino television media to shoot footage of Diaz’s workouts. Pacquiao who has been getting in shape with workouts in Cebu, his hometown of General Santos City and the Wild Card Gym of his former business manager Rod Nazario in BF Homes, Paranaque Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz. Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles: |
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