With Floyd Mayweather Jr. no longer on the scene, Manny Pacquiao has been anointed the best pound-for-pound boxer by most publications — he’s No. 2 behind Joe Calzaghe on The Star-Ledger list. But Pacquiao puts his lofty standing at risk Saturday night (HBO pay-per-view at 9) against WBC lightweight champion David Diaz.
While oddsmakers in Las Vegas, where the fight will be held, make Pacquiao a favorite, Diaz is no pushover. Diaz, who spent a good portion of his career at junior welterweight, will be the larger man on fight night.
His size could come into play against Pacquiao, who is regarded as the stronger puncher — though he began his career as a junior flyweight (108-pound limit). If Pacquiao (46-3-2, 35 knockouts) can’t overwhelm Diaz with brute strength, his quest to become world champion in a fourth weight class is likely to fall short.
But Pacquiao isn’t concerned. He is confident his power will follow him into the ring as a 135-pound fighter.
Punching power isn’t the only edge Pacquiao expects to have in the ring. Pacquiao feels so comfortable at his new fighting weight that he expects to be faster than Diaz.
“I don’t think he is stronger; I believe I’m stronger than him,” Pacquiao said. “Moving up in weight is not easy. I have to maintain my speed and power — more power.
“It is not easy to move up, but for me 135 pounds is — I am very comfortable at this weight. Some people are saying it will be very hard for me to fight at 135 pounds. But I believe I am stronger at 135 pounds.”
There is no reason to doubt Pacquiao’s assertion. Overpowering larger fighters is something he has done several times in his career.
After relinquishing the IBF super bantamweight title, Pacquiao dropped featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez three times during the first round in May 2004, before settling for a draw. He would later stop super featherweight legend Erik Morales twice.
Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KOs) has no intention of experiencing a similar fate. His plan isn’t to match Pacquiao’s power, but to be the more aggressive fighter.
“Manny Pacquiao stops once in a while when going forward,” said Diaz, who will be making his second title defense. “When he is resting, that’s when I can attack.
“We’re going to match up pretty much the same. He walks around pretty heavy, so he feels comfortable … what’s going to matter most is the conditioning. Whoever is in top condition is going to end up winning this fight.”
