IT WAS a scene straight out of a Rocky Balboa movie. The bell rings heralding the start of the 10th round, and David Diaz is way behind on the scorecards of all three judges.
His eyes are almost swollen shut, a result of the constant pounding mercilessly administered to him by his opponent, Jose Armando Santa Cruz, a lanky Mexican with only one blemish in his record.
Luckily for him, Santa Cruz, was tiring and breathing heavily. Diaz’s strategy to work the body in the middle rounds was paying off. He continues to stalk him and apply the pressure.
From out of nowhere, the southpaw Diaz uncorks a well-placed devious left uppercut that sends Cruz reeling back and causes him to fall down twice. Another barrage from Diaz and the referee stops the carnage.
Diaz is the new WBC lightweight champion with a record that stands at 32-1 (17 KOs).
This same Diaz will be Erik Morales’ intended victim this coming Sunday as he guns for the distinct honor of being the first Mexican to win world titles in four weight categories.
After appearing in that beer commercial with conqueror Manny Pacquiao, Erik has endeared himself to most Filipino boxing fans. It would not be farfetched to speculate that most of us will be rooting for him when he guns for Mexican immortality this weekend.
Does Morales still have it?
Boxing aficionado Rudy Abellana, clerk-in-charge of the Philippine Mediation Center-Cebu Unit believes so. “Morales is a spoiler”, he says. “He will use his vast championship experience to good use. It will either be by late stoppage or unanimous decision.”
Prosecutor Bienvenido Mabanto of Mandaue City, an avid boxing fan since childhood, and who loves to hit the bags and mitts at home, has a contrary opinion.
“Morales will lose,” he offers. “He’s been to the top and he has had his time. When you’re at the top you have nowhere else to go but down.”
His opinion is shared by Mark Antonio, businessman and sports patron, who is based in San Carlos City. Mark is currently in the thick of preparations for the third Chi Sigma Tau Basketball tournament, which he is co-sponsoring and which opens today, but told the Last Round that he will definitely find time to watch the fight this weekend “I’m picking Diaz. He is hungry for recognition and he believes it’s his time to shine. My heart goes out to Morales, but those two knockouts at the hands of Manny took a lot out of him.”
DIAZES. Should Morales win Diaz’s WBC belt, he will surely go after the other titleholders in the division, who are all curiously surnamed Diaz.
There’s Julio Diaz (not our actor, silly) who holds the IBF crown and undefeated Juan Diaz, who holds the WBA and WBO titles.
When fighters go for titles in higher weight classes, they usually go for who they perceive to be the weakest champ. Test the waters so to speak.
When Oscar dela Hoya moved from welterweight all the way up to middleweight, he first annexed the titles of the likes of Fernando Castillejo and Felix Sturm (controversially) before he went after the divisions’ resident tigers such as Fernando Vargas and Bernard Hopkins.
So did Felix Trinidad when he first fought David Reid before Fernando Vargas at 154 pounds, and William Joppy before Hopkins at 160 pounds.
Obviously, Morales is employing the same strategy. But is this Diaz the weakest of them all?
Am not really sure, but if David Diaz wins, I hope he unifies the belts with the other Diazes. And who would be the round girl for those mega-fights? Why of course …Cameron Diaz!
THE LAST ROUND. It is on Yakal buddies, dapper landscape architect Jonathan Fabricante and doting mom Nanette Antonio who recently celebrated their birthdays. Cheers!([email protected])
