LAS VEGAS ? David Diaz looks like he isn?t used, well, at least not yet, to staying in nice, expensive suites, and he said he drives a ?91 Honda with no air-con.
So, do you think he?d care about the odds?
?No. That?s no concern for me because I?m not a betting man. I don?t gamble,? he said after the odds to Saturday?s fight skyrocketed in favor of his Filipino counterpart Manny Pacquiao.
?So it?s not a problem for me,? he said.
Diaz, who loves to crack jokes during interviews, doesn?t mind that oddsmakers have placed Pacquiao a 5-1 favorite, and him the underdog, one that would give $400 for every $100 bet in case he wins.
He said it?s quite understandable.
?That?s not a problem man. He (Pacquiao) has done a lot to boxing. He?s been fighting for a while so you got to give it to the guy. The guy?s the draw,? said Diaz, hoping for a big win that should set him up to even bigger fights.
?Hopefully after this fight I?ll be the draw,? he said.
During Wednesday?s press conference, he opened up his short speech by thanking Mandalay Bay for giving him a suite, one that?s close to Pacquiao?s, nestled on the 60th floor of the expensive, 1,117-room hotel.
?I want to thank Mandalay Bay for putting me in a nice suite up there. That?s real nice,? he said.
Diaz, who turned 32 more than a week ago, said win or lose, things should change for him and his family, his wife and two little kids, and his parents, particularly his 74-year-old father, Anselmo.
Diaz, who will get $800,000 for fighting Pacquiao, sounded on the verge of tears as he dedicated the fight to his old man who sat nearby.
Later on, Diaz said he?s just so happy to be here, and being able to dedicate this coming fight to his father.
?He?s been with me forever. He?s my first best friend. He?s the world to me. He?s the man I look up to. He doesn?t read and doesn?t write but he took care of nine kids and put a roof over their heads,? he explained.
He said with his purse he hopes to take his kids to college, and take care of his family, too.
Then Diaz said he could probably get a new car for himself.
?My wife?s got a car but she lets me use it only once in a while,? he said.
?Definitely I?m ?gonna get a car. I drive a ?91 Honda. But I had to give it to my nephew. So, now I?m on foot. I?m ?gonna get one ? with AC (aircon). Maybe I?ll move up to ?98,? he added, again laughing.
?But that?s not important right now. What?s important is winning the fight.?
