LAS VEGAS ? From what David Diaz said during a free-wheeling discussion with the press on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning in Manila), Manny Pacquiao need not only get into the ring armed to the teeth but should come up with a performance never before seen from him.
Diaz puts his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight on the line against many consider as the best in the world this Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at Mandalay Bay and ringsiders are of the opinion that he doesn?t measure up to the greatness of Pacquiao.
Instead of being discouraged, Diaz is undaunted and he sees it as something that motivates him to prove them all wrong.
“This is something that I worked so hard getting and never thought I?d get it (championship) and now that I have it, I?d never let it go,” said Diaz after facing off with Pacquiao at the podium following Top Rank?s well-attended event at the media center located a few steps away from the arena where Pacquiao and Diaz will square off.
“If I was Manny, I would be concerned about my will. I am not going away that easy. He?s got to throw away bombs and do what he?s supposed to do. But I?ll be there and it?s just in my nature to stay there,” said Diaz, who has a jolly personality that has charmed the Filipino press.
“We know we have a tough fight in front of us so we knew we had to train. We could not say ?Okay, today I?m not going to run because we knew Manny was running, you know, we could not today, we are not hitting the bag, because we knew Manny was hitting the bag.”
“We just imagine that Manny was hitting the bag six, seven rounds and I was doing eight, ten rounds. That?s what I took it and if he threw four or five punches, I wanted to throw five.”
Pacquiao is so favored by bettors that the current odds almost suggest that all he has to do to win this weekend?s clash is just show up in proper attire.
Told about the tremendous pressure on Pacquiao?s shoulders, Diaz said he also feels the same way.
“I have pressure, too. I have to get out and give it my all. I am my own worst critic and I have to go there and perform and if I don?t perform, I?m not going to win.”
