LOS ANGELES ? Appearing chirpy despite losing the WBC lightweight title to Manny Pacquiao last weekend, David Diaz said the other day he?s looking forward to visiting Manila and learning about what makes Filipino fighters tick.
Diaz said he could come as early as two weeks from now, claiming he?ll be fully recovered from the beating he took from Pacquiao.
Sportsman and racehorse owner Hermie Esguerra, who flew in from Manila to witness Pacquiao?s historic ascent to the 135-pound throne, confirmed Diaz? plans.
?I spoke with Diaz on the phone,? said Esguerra. ?He wants to come to Manila. I think he?s fascinated by our loyalty to Manny and wants to find out more about our people. Diaz was impressed by what Manny did ? not just in knocking him out but also in showing concern when he lay on the canvas.?
Pacquiao rushed to check on Diaz? condition right after referee Vic Drakulich called off the fight without bothering to count the fallen champion out. Pacquiao?s display of concern gained even more global respect for the Filipino icon.
But a source said a Filipino living in Los Angeles has invited Diaz to visit Manila on the possibility of filming commercials like Erik Morales.
?I don?t know if Diaz is coming to explore business opportunities,? said Esguerra. ?I didn?t ask him. But I imagine he will look into a boxing project. A fight between Randy Suico and Diaz in Manila would be very marketable.?
Diaz, the youngest of nine children, intimated to Esguerra that of the $850,000 purse he was guaranteed for fighting Pacquiao, he?ll take home only about $400,000 after paying taxes, license fees and shares for his manager Jim Strickland and cornermen.
Esguerra said Diaz told him he?s not finished fighting.
?Diaz wants to go on,? said Esguerra. ?What he got from the Pacquiao fight won?t be enough to fund an educational plan for his two children. I think Diaz is a sincere guy. He praised Manny after the fight and didn?t make excuses.?
Diaz said he hopes to visit Manila with his wife Tanya and Strickland.
?I was at ringside when Diaz fought Erik in Chicago last year,? said Esguerra. ?Erik invited me to join him in the ring before the introductions. Diaz is a good guy. He?s got a lot of heart. He wants to experience what life is like in the Philippines. He has no clue about how Filipinos live but Manny has made him curious.?
Esguerra said Diaz can?t be considered a patsy although Pacquiao made him look like a novice.
?It was the best I?ve ever seen Manny fight,? said Esguerra. ?He did it all. The right hand was terrific. I saw Manny do things with the right I never saw before, like throwing a right hook then a right uppercut. Diaz was dangerous but he never had a chance against Manny.?
Esguerra said Morales wasn?t in Las Vegas for the fight unlike another Pacquiao victim Marco Antonio Barrera who tried to court the multitude of Filipino fans by signing autographs and posing for pictures.
A Filipino fan Dante Santa Ana, who flew in from his home in Sydney to watch the bout, said he spoke to Barrera at the lobby of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. ?I was surprised when he told me he eats balut to get strong,? said Santa Ana, an Australian resident the past 20 years.
Esguerra said Morales is taking a two-year rest before returning to action.
?The talk is Barrera will fight again in September then challenge the winner of the coming bout between (Juan Manuel) Marquez and (Joel) Casamayor,? said Esguerra. ?Barrera wants to fight Marquez. Erik will just wait for whomever is around when he announces his comeback.?
Diaz said he?s not retiring from boxing because ?I just don?t have the money yet.?
?That?s still missing,? he added. ?I?ve got a ?91 Honda that I?m still driving with no air-conditioning. Hopefully, after this fight, we?ll be able to afford something better.?
Chicago Blackhawks hockey coach Denis Savard described Diaz ?a blue-collar kid, very respectful, a good family man, loves his friends and works hard ? he?s already had a dream day to be where he?s at.?
Savard and former world champion Fernando Vargas, who was Diaz? teammate on the 1996 US Olympic team, accompanied the fighter to the ring before facing Pacquiao.
Vargas was clearly distraught after Pacquiao?s win.
?Yeah, Pacquiao?s a great fighter,? smirked Vargas. ?But I?m not concerned about Pacquiao. I?m concerned about David. I want to be with him after this loss.? Vargas then turned away to join Diaz in the gloomy walk back to the dressing room.
