LAS VEGAS ? Juan Manuel Marquez. Edwin Valero. Joan Guzman. Humberto Soto.
Sorry guys. Manny Pacquiao wants David Diaz.
?Manny told me he wants him,? said trainer Freddie Roach late Saturday night, moments after Pacquiao, who for the first time seemed to have trouble making 130 lbs, drove past Marco Antonio Barrera at the Mandalay Bay.
?And I?m looking forward to it,? Roach said.
The American trainer said Pacquiao is seriously considering moving up to the 135 lb division and take a crack at Diaz? lightweight crown.
Pacquiao, in fact, has started asking for some tapes of Diaz? previous fights, including the one he had and won against Erik Morales in Illinois last August.
?He wants a tape of Diaz fights,? said Hermie Rivera, a Filipino boxing analyst from Team Pacquiao.
?Moving to 135? We?re talking about that. Manny came to this (Barrera) fight at 144 pounds. It seems that 130 has become harder for him to make,? said Roach.
Even before Pacquiao sealed a rematch with Barrera, Marquez, Valero, Guzman and Soto, the biggest names in the super-featherweight class next to Pacquiao, cropped up as the Filipino?s next opponent.
Marquez faces Rocky Juarez, and Guzman takes on Soto in separate fights next month, each one of them hoping to win and face Pacquiao next. They may have to wait.
Diaz was a great amateur before he turned pro in 1996 and won his debut against someone in New Mexico. He now has a professional ring record of 33 wins, a loss and a draw with 17 knockouts.
Diaz? first and only loss so far was dealt by Kendall Hold, who halted the Mexican-American in eight rounds in 2005 in Connecticut. But he has won seven of his last eight fights with one draw.
Diaz, a stablemate of Pacquiao?s at Top Rank, had a great amateur career that lasted 175 fights. He is a three-time Golden Gloves champion, and as a lightweight made it to the second round of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
He was practically born as a lightweight.
And Pacquiao wants him next.
