Manny Pacquiao must be thanking his lucky stars for the left hook that brought down Juan Manuel Marquez in the third round in yesterday?s WBC world superfeatherweight title bout. That was probably the margin of victory in a fight that shouldn?t have surprised experts for its difficulty.
Now, Pacquiao is king of the hill, with no real challengers left, unless he wants the predictable next chapter of a rematch. But trilogies have proven to be unappealing at the box office, since time and age catch up with the protagonists, as always.
Next on the menu for Pacquiao will most probably be the current lightweight king David Diaz, who won a close 10-round majority decision over Ramon Montano in the undercard yesterday.
Diaz has fought nine times since tasting an eighth-round technical knockout defeat at the hands of Kendall Holt in February of 2005 in Connecticut. Diaz has won eight of those fights, and drew with Ramazan Palyani at the end of 2005.
Although many of Diaz?s opponents have had impressive (or even undefeated) record, their opponents have been suspect, or they?ve had less than 20 fights under their belts. Diaz suddenly jumped into people?s consciousness for winning a unanimous decision over former super featherweight champion Erik Morales.
In October of last year, on his first day back in training after retiring Morales, Diaz granted this writer an interview, the first time a Filipino journalist had written about him. At the time, print reports stated that Pacquiao still hadn?t decided whether or not to fight Marquez, or move up and challenge Diaz.
?I?m ready for a big-money fight,? Diaz told this writer in that exclusive television and print interview. ?I?ve been through so much, and Manny Pacquiao is the biggest name out there. So Manny, if you?re watching, let?s get this fight on.?
Diaz has been aching for recognition for many years. After the Atlanta Olympics, weeks went by before anyone contacted him for a pro contract, until Bob Arum phoned. Diaz proceeded to win his first six fights going the distance, only registering his first knockout in his seventh against Theo Holland in 1998.
DIaz then went through a rough patch with the coming of the new millennium. He stopped boxing to attend to his ailing mother, who needed a kidney transplant. Diaz personally drove her to the hospital every day, and soon got into debt. After a donor was found, his brother died of AIDS.
?It was very hard for me, because there was really no one there to help out,? said Diaz, who has two small sons. ?I?m just grateful that eventually, we were able to find someone who helped out.?
Upon his comeback, he tore his Achilles tendon, forcing another period of inactivity. Even so, covering that span from 1999 to 2003, Diaz won 11 fights by knockout.
A few years ago, he started climbing up the standings in the International Boxing Association.
In August of 2008, Diaz toppled Jose Armando Santa Cruz for the WBC interim lightweight title and then cemented his hold on the belt with the victory over Morales.
?To beat a great fighter like that is truly a great honor for me,? Diaz told The STAR. ?And I look forward to fighting more great warriors.?
Pacquiao will have to prepare for a long-drawn battle against Diaz, who wears down opponents and goes in for the kill in later rounds. But Diaz may change his style, in his eagerness to make a name by going for an impressive win against Pacquiao.
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The organizers of the concert ?From Darkness to Light? for the benefit of sexually abused women of the Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women Saturday night would like to thank the generous performers and sponsors who graced the show.
The project would not have been possible without the support of the PLDT-Smart Foundation, Sen. Miguel Zubiri, Nescafe, Pepsi, Gatorade, Pearl of the Pacific El Kapitan coffee and Mang Inasal.
