LAS VEGAS ? There are only eight fighters in history to claim five world titles in different divisions and newly-crowned WBC lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao is in the elite cast.
The roster lists Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Lester Ellis, Hector Camacho, Roberto Duran and Pacquiao. James Toney, who used to be handled by Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach, was excluded from the roster because his fifth crown came in the largely unrecognized supercruiserweight division.
That?s quality company for Pacquiao who made the lineup for winning the WBC flyweight, IBF superbantamweight, Ring Magazine featherweight, WBC superfeatherweight and WBC lightweight crowns. Although the Ring Magazine title wasn?t sanctioned by any of the four major governing bodies (WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO), it just can?t be ignored because Pacquiao gained the ?people?s? recognition by beating the acknowledged champion at the time, Marco Antonio Barrera.
How did Pacquiao dethrone David Diaz as the WBC 135-pound titlist here Saturday night? Here were the 10 ways.
? Right hand charm. The plan was for Pacquiao to use the right to set up the left. Pacquiao?s execution was perfect. Because Diaz is a southpaw like Pacquiao, he was particularly vulnerable to the right. Pacquiao didn?t only employ the right to jab but also to hook and cross.
? No chance for Diaz. The 1996 Olympian couldn?t launch a sustained attack because Pacquiao took him off his flow from the onset. Pacquiao kept Diaz at bay with the right jab and repeatedly found the mark with his left. Diaz was transformed into a human punching bag and couldn?t defend against the blinding speed of Pacquiao?s blows.
? Confusing the enemy. Diaz couldn?t figure out where Pacquiao?s punches were coming from. Pacquiao kept him guessing throughout the bout as he varied his mode of attack. He darted in and out. He stood his ground and engaged. He went upstairs and downstairs. Sadly, Diaz looked like he didn?t belong in the same ring as his classy opponent.
? Slipping and sliding. On defense, Pacquiao used footwork, head movement and lateral movement to frustrate Diaz who begged for a standing target but the Filipino just wouldn?t oblige.
? Stayed active and aggressive. Pacquiao gave it everything he had. He threw 788 total punches, compared to Diaz? 463, and maintained a high work rate. Pacquiao pressured Diaz from the start and left him fumbling in his tracks.
? Too fast for Diaz. Pacquiao set a frenetic pace which Diaz couldn?t cope with. He dazzled Diaz with his dizzying handspeed and moved side to side, confusing the champion whose only approach was going forward. Diaz, who is notoriously slow, just couldn?t keep in step with the fast-moving challenger.
? Pacing. Roach was careful not to burn out Pacquiao in pressing him into first gear all the way. Pacquiao conserved his energy for the big push in the late rounds. He won every single round in the three judges? scorecards and could?ve gone the distance without running out of gas. His conditioning was superb. Two of the three judges even marked the second round 10-8 for Pacquiao without scoring a knockdown.
? Two-fisted power. Skeptics who doubted if Pacquiao could carry over his power to the lightweight division were silenced. Pacquiao launched a two-fisted assault that turned Diaz into a bloody mess. It wasn?t just his potent left that did the damage. The right was as forceful. In the end, a left hook sent Diaz to the canvas but it was set up by the right jab.
? Patience. Diaz? durability was incredible. He took heavy punishment from Pacquiao from the first to the eighth rounds but was never in danger of falling. Pacquiao could?ve gotten exasperated. He could?ve lost his patience. But he kept his composure, picked his spots and when the opening finally came, it was lights out for Diaz.
? Killer?s instinct. Pacquiao wouldn?t let Diaz off the hook. He softened Diaz up for the kill. When Diaz began to show signs of fading, Pacquiao stepped up his attack. Yet, as soon as referee Vic Drakulich ruled it was over with Diaz almost out cold face first on the canvas, Pacquiao?s first instinct was to rush to his victim and show concern for his condition.
Make no mistake about it. Diaz was a legitimate world champion. Pacquiao was just too overpowering that he made a good fighter look terribly bad. It?s hard not to look bad when you?re up against the world?s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.
