David Diaz was a no-show in Wednesday?s promotional gig in San Diego but Manny Pacquiao was quick to take the cudgels drumming up their awaited June 28 showdown in Las Vegas.
Diaz, who puts his WBC lightweight crown on the chopping block against Pacquiao, opted to stay in Chicago and train for the fight that serves as the debut for the Pinoy icon in the 135 lb division.
According to dental surgeon and Team Pacquiao insider Ed dela Vega, Diaz skipped this one because he did not want his training to be disrupted in the middle of the week.
?But that is okay. People understood? not when the fight day is so close. The media understood it too,? said dela Vega, adding that people were informed ahead of time that only Pacquiao was to be present.
It was the third stop for the promotional tour for the fight dubbed ?Lethal Combination.? The fighters have been to Chicago, Berkeley in California and now in San Diego.
A week before the fight, another one is set in Los Angeles, and the last one three days before the fight, set at the 12,000-seat Events Center of Mandalay Bay.
In the absence of Diaz, Pacquiao worked the crowd that packed the Cox Communications Building in downtown San Diego, right next to the Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
Pacquiao gamely answered questions from the media and the fans, and according to dela Vega never seemed to tire himself signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Pacquiao also wanted to work out in a local gym in San Diego, but certain house rules made him decide otherwise. After a late snack, he decided to drive back to Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Bible of boxing, Ring Magazine, has elevated Pacquiao on top of its pound-for-pound list after it received confirmation that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has decided to relinquish its Ring welterweight title.
A few days ago, fightfan.com also made Pacquiao it?s No. 1 fighter in the pound-for-pound list, giving the 29-year-old slugger a little more push in his drive toward a fourth world title in different weight classes.
