David Diaz is the WBC lightweight champion of the world. But success apparently hasn’t gone to his head. Yet.
Diaz, who is scheduled to defend his 135-pound title June 28 against Manny Pacquiao at Mandalay Bay, told reporters Tuesday he’s still driving around his hometown of Chicago in a 1991 Honda that has no air conditioning.
“I just don’t have the money yet,” Diaz said when asked why he hasn’t upgraded his ride. “Hopefully, after this fight, after this victory, we’ll be able to afford something better.”
Diaz remembered when he had no wheels at all and had to rely on public transportation to get around town.
“One time, me and my dad were in Chicago waiting for the bus and we really had a lot of snow coming down,” he said. “After 10 minutes of waiting outside, I told my dad, ‘Hey, the bus isn’t coming. Let’s get out of here.’ And he said, ‘Let’s just give it five minutes. If in five minutes the bus doesn’t show up, then we can leave.’
“Lo and behold, before five minutes were up, that damn bus came by and we had to get on that bus, then go to the other line to wait for the other bus for half an hour.”
