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Philippines, 10 May 2024 |
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HISTORY BECKONS FOR PACQUIAO By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Sat, 28 Jun 2008  History beckons for the Philippines' boxing idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao as he climbs into the ring at the Events Center in the plush Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas and takes one giant step in his quest to re-write boxing history as the first Filipino and Asian to win four world titles in different weight divisions. Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who has been oozing with confidence the past week after Pacquiao tapered off in training told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today he was confident that everything was going well and he stands by his prediction that Pacquiao will win by a knockout over WBC lightweight champion David Diaz. Roach said that on the eve of the official weigh-in for the fight which will be telecast by Solar Sports over GMA 7 and a platform of pay-per-view outlets such as SkyCable, Destiny and Dream, Pacquiao weighed 136 pounds, just one pound over the lightweight limit. Roach indicated it would pose no problems unlike in the past couple of fights when Pacquiao struggled to make the super featherweight limit of 130 pounds. ABS-CBN?s Dyan Castillejo noted that Pacquiao had a full breakfast after his jogging and then worked out in the afternoon at the IBA Gym. Diaz worked out at the gym of former pound-for-pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr and said he and Mayweather go way back from the 1996 US Olympic team. Diaz said it was also great to see Nate Jones from Chicago who was also on the team and is in Las Vegas for the fight. Diaz said his workout was great and was ?the best I?ve felt the whole camp. We went two solid hours and now I totally feel 100 percent ready for Saturday night.? Despite an article which claimed that ticket sales were poor, Diaz noted that ?the casino is starting to fill up with fans showing up for the fight? while Castillejo noted there were ?a lot of Filipinos here.? Arum himself told us after Kelly Pavlik demolished Gary Lockett at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City that skyrocketing gasoline prices and ?the economic crisis within this country (US) has affected attendance at the big fights and even the concerts.? While Pacquiao who has been guaranteed a $3 million purse has been working on the hook for some time now, Roach said it was ?doing well but it won't come into play as much? against Diaz who is also, like Pacquiao, a southpaw. Talk is, it?s the uppercut that will get the job done although Pacquiao often banks on his thundering left straight to finish off an opponent. The fight has been hyped to the max by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum with a series of promotional tour stops and pep rallies and Diaz who has lived all his life in America and represented the US in the 1996 Olympic Games has tried to rally the Mexicans behind him in an obvious effort to keep the Philippine-Mexican rivalry burning. Dr. Allan Recto who is often assigned as ringside physician for the WBC said Pacquiao told him he is ready and had done everything necessary for the fight. He quoted Pacquiao as saying ?I have prepared physically, mentally and spiritually? Diyos na ang bahala!? Dr. Recto disclosed that they pray the rosary together since he arrived in Las Vegas last Monday and said he was joined by Pacquiao?s charming wife Jinkee, Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez and his wife Clair, well-respected General Santos boxing man Rey Golingan and Recto?s daughter Nicole. He said they missed the collective prayers the previous night because Pacquiao slept early. The WBC official praised Pacquiao for dedicating his fight especially to the victims of typhoon Frank saying ?Imagine, despite everything he still has time to think about them.? He said Pacquiao was ?very focused.? The most popular Filipino both at home and abroad, Pacquiao said ?I will try my best to give a great fight. I dedicate this fight to give hope to the Filipino people especially the flood victims of the typhoon. This is also the struggle of my countrymen... this fight is for them. I want to thank God for his blessings.? We have noticed that in his recent remarks Pacquiao has accentuated his change to a family-oriented lifestyle compared to his previous ways of late nights, pool halls and gambling by ending with the phrase, ?in the name of Jesus.? It?s a change that has been welcomed by his ardent admirers and genuine friends and most of all his wife. When Pacquiao faces Diaz it will be a battle of champions since he is the WBC super featherweight king and Diaz the lightweight champion. The last time it happened was in November 1966 at New York?s famed old Madison Square Garden. That was when we covered the fight for dzHP, the Manila station of the Radio Mindanao Network and saw the late great Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde, the world junior lightweight champion bludgeoned and knocked out for the first time in his career in the 14th round by the bull-strong Puerto Rican lightweight champion Carlos Ortiz. In their first meeting at the Rizal baseball stadium in February 1964, Elorde had Ortiz in trouble in round seven but couldn?t finish him off and Ortiz came back to win by a 14th round TKO which set the stage for the rematch. Pacquiao has dismissed the possibility of history repeating itself by simply pointing out that he is different. Indeed he is because if you consider the fact that he annihilated Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera who was Ring Magazine?s featherweight champion in November 2003, a win over Diaz would give him a fifth world title. Its an enviable record and a certain first ballot Hall-of-Famer especially when you consider his record against a roster of Mexican legends. Pacquiao beat Barrera in a lopsided decision in their rematch, demolished Erik ?El Terrible? Morales in two fights of an epic trilogy after putting up a gallant stand despite a gaping gash from an accidental head-butt in round five in their first battle, dropped Juan Manuel Marquez four times in two fights en route to winning the 130 pound crown in a rematch and was deprived of victory in the first when one judge made a scoring error. He also knocked out Mexican pretenders Hector Velasquez and undefeated Jorge Solis after earlier disposing of flyweight Gabriel Mira and super bantamweight Emmanuel Lucero in a hurry. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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