LAS VEGAS ? In a battle of champions, Manny Pacquiao is the experts? solid pick to bludgeon David Diaz into submission late in their 12-round bout at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino here this morning (Manila time).
Diaz, 32, is staking his WBC lightweight crown. Pacquiao, 29, won the WBC superfeatherweight title last March and is moving up in class for the chance to become the first Asian to capture four world championships in different divisions.
Graham Houston of the London magazine Boxing Monthly said Pacquiao won?t be denied his moment of glory.
?I think that Pacquiao?s rapid moves will have the slower Diaz reaching and missing ? and getting punished in the process,? wrote Houston in the magazine?s June issue.
?Around about the 10th round, I think that the referee (Vic Drakulich) will have decided that Diaz has taken enough ? all the heart in the world won?t be enough in what is basically a bout between a good fighter and a great one.?
Ring Magazine concurred.
?Both fighters will appear respectful early on, with Pacquiao trying to box from a distance and Diaz not knowing quite how to get close enough to land,? said the so-called Bible of Boxing, now owned by Oscar de la Hoya.
?He?ll start taking chances around the fourth or fifth round and soon find himself getting hammered with right hooks and left hands as Pacquiao?s great speed advantage tells. Diaz will soldier on a bloody mess until the 10th when the fight is stopped on cuts.?
Tim Struby of ESPN The Magazine said ?Diaz has an aggressive style but his lack of power has kept him from becoming a fan favorite or breaking into top pound-for-pound lists. He noted that Diaz? knockout rate is only 50 percent compared to 75 percent by the top five WBC contenders.
Struby, however, seemed to like Diaz? chances as an underdog eager to score an upset in the biggest fight of his career.
?Diaz could change those perceptions when he climbs into the ring,? said Struby. ?Pacquiao is considered boxing?s best talent, beloved by fans for his whirlwind style. With a win over Pacquiao, Diaz would rocket up the rankings. Pacquiao is a heavy favorite which means the soft-spoken Diaz once again finds himself fighting as the underdog.?
Struby said from Diaz? sound bites, it doesn?t seem like he?ll be surprised if he wins.
Franklin McNeil of the New Jersey Star-Ledger said Diaz, who is the naturally bigger fighter (he started his career as a junior welterweight), will lean on Pacquiao to wear him down but as both fighters are southpaws, he gives the Filipino icon the edge because of his ability to throw the right jab to set up his powerful left.
McNeil also said Pacquiao is the busier fighter whose punches are mostly of the power type, including the jab.
Houston described Diaz an ?overachiever? and said he will not be embarrassed against Pacquiao.
?I think Manny?s suited for me,? said Diaz. ?I know what I?ve got in front of me and what I have to do ? I have to go in there and fight. When it gets down to it, people can be cheering their heads off but it?s me and him trading punches and we?re going to see how we adapt to each other.
?I?ll box if I have to but if I see that my punches are matching him blow for blow and I?m keeping up with him, I?ll keep on doing that. I think in the later rounds, he?ll be a little worn out emotionally and tired and that?s what we want, we want him to get tired.?
Houston said Diaz will give a good account of himself but it won?t be enough to repulse Pacquiao.
The Ring said Diaz will be easy to hit. ?He has ordinary head movement and mobility,? said The Ring. ?Keeps right hand high when on the way in but wide open southpaw offense creates all kinds of openings for opponents. Not hard to find on the outside, susceptible to getting tagged on the way in.?
It?s not often experts are agreed on a round where a fighter is expected to fall. But in the case of Houston and The Ring, they?re agreed Diaz will succumb in 10.
