LAS VEGAS ? Newly crowned WBC lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao?s boyhood pal and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez insisted David Diaz was a threat until he was finally knocked out in the ninth round at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino here Saturday night.
Fernandez worked Pacquiao?s corner with chief trainer Freddie Roach, cutman Joe Chavez and veteran back-up Eric Brown, a long-time Roach associate at the Wild Card Gym.
In between rounds, Fernandez repeatedly reminded Pacquiao to watch his timing and be careful not to lower his guard, particularly against Diaz? vaunted left hand.
Although Pacquiao dominated Diaz with his speed and power from the start, Fernandez was relieved only when referee Vic Drakulich waved it off as the Chicago slugger crumpled to the canvas, face-first.
?We watched Diaz? fights on tape and we knew he wouldn?t go away easily,? said Fernandez. ?We were wary of Diaz? left.?
Fernandez said he noticed Diaz didn?t mind taking hits from Pacquiao for the chance to throw a big shot.
?It seemed like Diaz was inviting Manny to hit him on the right side,? he continued. ?Diaz was bending sideways so he wouldn?t get the full impact of Manny?s punch. At the same time, he was trying to get leverage to throw the left as a counter.?
Fernandez told Pacquiao to be conscious of Diaz? feint because it was a set-up for the left. Sure enough, in the sixth round, Diaz landed a huge left that rocked Pacquiao momentarily. Because of Pacquiao?s excellent condition, he just shook it off.
?Diaz took everything Manny threw,? said Fernandez. ?He was that tough. He earned our respect.?
But even a reputed ironman like Diaz has his limits.
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Pan Asia Boxing Association (PABA) lightweight champion Dennis Laurente made an auspicious US debut, stopping Steve Quinonez of Palm Springs in a battle of southpaws at the end of the fourth round in the Pacquiao-Diaz undercard.
Laurente, 30, was behind on points in the three judges scorecards when he floored Quinonez twice in the fourth. Quinonez, 37, twisted his left ankle on the second knockdown and limped back to his stool where he surrendered to referee Kenny Bayless.
Quinonez, a Pacquiao sparmate, used a stick-and-slide routine to take an early lead. For a while, it appeared that Laurente didn?t know what to do to stem the tide. Then, when Quinonez decided to mix it up from close range, Laurente quickly went to work.
Laurente was cut in the corner of his right eye by an accidental headbutt in the second round. Under Nevada state rules, there is no automatic point deduction from an accidental h?unlike in the Games and Amusement Board.
Laurente?s manager Johnny Elorde and trainer Nonoy Neri worked his corner. Elorde?s mother Laura and brother Bebot travelled here for the fight. Laurente?s purse was $6,000.
?Quinonez was one of Manny?s sparmates in preparing for Diaz so we knew his style,? said Neri who helps out Roach and Fernandez in training Pacquiao in the gym. ?We were confident that as soon as Dennis found his range, it would be the end for Quinonez.?
Elorde said Laurente?s experience did the trick. The win raised his record to 29-3-4, with 15 KOs.
?We?re very grateful to Manny for giving Dennis this chance to fight in the US,? said Elorde. ?Manny promised to help Dennis in his career. Dennis has outgrown the lightweight division and will now fight as a junior welterweight. We leave it up to Manny what he wants Dennis to do next.?
Elorde said if Pacquiao wants Laurente to be based in Los Angeles for close supervision by Roach, that?s fine.
?Dennis is a mature fighter,? said Elorde. ?He?s been the Oriental champion and he?s now the PABA champion. He has fought and won in Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Now, it?s his time to prove himself against the best in the world.?
The Nevada State Athletic Commission deducted $75 for a license fee and $1,800 tax from Laurente?s purse.
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Bayless, who worked the Laurente-Quinonez bout, was in Manila for the WBC convention last year.
?Filipino hospitality and Filipino food rank high up there in my book,? said Bayless. ?I enjoyed myself in Manila.?
Bayless was the third man in the ring for the second Pacquiao-Erik Morales bout and the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch.
?The fight against Marquez was very close and it would?ve been a draw if not for Manny scoring a knockdown,? said Bayless. ?That knockdown decided it. Manny?s a very exciting fighter.?
Bayless said he was assigned a fight in Japan early this year and also enjoyed the visit.
Regarding the Indiana Pacers? first round draft pick Jerryd Bayless, the referee said he could be a distant relative.
?Jerryd is from Arizona and I think we?ve got family there,? said Bayless, a prostate cancer survivor and a former track athlete in college. ?Since we?re both athletes, maybe it?s in the genes.?
