CHICAGO–Don King hates to knock the boxing product of any competitors. He hates to be a nattering nabob of negativity but, sometimes, DK can?t help himself. When I caught up The Donald at Friday night?s Juan Diaz-Julio Diaz lightweight title unification fight weigh-in, it was one of those times.
What, I asked the WGP, did you think of Manny Pacquaio-Marco Antonio Barrera. I thought it a fitting question since HBO, in its wisdom, will replay Pacman-MAB II Saturday night before they show the two champs named Diaz. (By the way, yet a third Diaz, WBC lightweight champ David, will be watching closely at ringside.)
?This fight is going to be a lot better than the snoozer Pacquaio and Barrera put on last week,? King said. ?This is going to be all action, two great Mexican warriors fighting so hard. That fight last week was enough to lull you to sleep.?
I asked King if the winner here, what with Julio?s IBF belt and Juan?s WBA and WBO straps on the line, would be a good next opponent for Megamanny.
?Both of these guys would make good fights with Pacquaio,? King said. ?They both come to fight in the Mexican tradition, in the tradition of Pancho Villa and Benito Juarez.?
So which world champion named J. Diaz will win at the Sears Centre this evening? King got cute with his snappy answer.
?My prediction is?a Mexican will win this fight. Write that down.?
Duly recorded, sir.
A young reporter asked King is Juan Diaz was or will become a Mexican icon like Julio Cesar Chavez.
?Juan Diaz is not JC Chavez yet,? King said. ?He is in the process of trying to emulate and to become a JC Chavez. But don?t forget that is a very high goal because Julio Cesar was a breed apart, he was the spirit of Mexico. Juan has a long way to go before he can equal Chavez but he is working at it?
The mere mention of ?spirit? made me thirsty and I remembered that it was Happy Hour in downtown Chicago so I made the long drive from way out in suburbia Schaumburg to Mike Ditka?s place.
And the spirits flowed. Some people can say that King can drive you to drink. But me, I drove myself.
FIGHT PREDICTION: I personally like and admire both Juan and Julio Diaz. I think this fight goes the 12-round limit and Julio will have some early round success switching from righty to lefty. The younger Juan is a perpetual motion machine and, unless Julio can hurt him early on make great use of his height and reach advantage, Juan will outwork him. I?m taking a page out of King?s dodgy prediction so I say the winner will be J. Diaz by unanimous decision.
