LAS VEGAS ? Motorists are often warned to keep their cars in cruise control because ?speed kills.?
Last Saturday, veteran cutman Miguel Diaz of Argentina said it was Manny Pacquiao?s speed that ?killed? Oscar de la Hoya not on the road but in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here.
Diaz, 70, has worked with more than 11 world champions and 27 other titleholders in a career as a trainer and cutman for nearly 40 years. His list of satisfied customers includes Erik Morales, Fernando Vargas, Israel Vazquez, Jorge Arce, James Toney, Miguel Cotto, Roger and Floyd Mayweather, Kelly Pavlik, Omar Ni?o Romero and Oscar Larios.
Known as ?El Mago? (Spanish for ?The Magician?), Diaz has lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years and operates his own gym.
Freddie Roach tapped Diaz to join him in Pacquiao?s corner for the De la Hoya bout when the Golden Boy pirated Joe Chavez who had previously worked with the Filipino icon.
Working with a Filipino fighter was nothing new for Diaz. In 1972, he recalled Bebot Elorde contracting his services to join lightweight contender Catalino Flores? corner in a Los Angeles match.
?That was when I learned my first Filipino word ? ?tubig,?? chuckled Diaz. ?If I remember right, Flores won.?
But Diaz has been on opposite corners, too. He was Larios? cutman when the Mexican lost a decision to Pacquiao at the Araneta Coliseum in 2006. He was also jinxed by Pacquiao in working for Morales in the rubber match in 2006 and Jorge Solis in 2007. Diaz was Omar Ni?o Romero?s cutman when Brian Viloria lost his WBC lightflyweight title in 2006.
Diaz said before the bout, he knew if De la Hoya showed up like the Golden Boy of old, it wouldn?t be easy for Pacquiao to win.
?Pacquiao is a live underdog,? said Diaz, quoted by Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in his pre-fight analysis. ?If the current De la Hoya shows up, Pacquiao stops him inside of 10 rounds. If the old De la Hoya, the one who beat up (Fernando) Vargas (in 2002), shows up, then it becomes a very interesting fight. I don?t think we?ll see that De la Hoya. He?s not the fighter he used to be.?
With the eighth round demolition, Diaz? hunch was proved right.
?It was Manny?s speed that killed Oscar,? said Diaz who has been involved in over 200 world title fights. ?Manny was just too fast. Sure, I didn?t think it would be that easy. Oscar is Oscar. But Manny is special because he fights for the Filipino people.?
Diaz started boxing at the age of eight and logged 27 amateur outings. Although his father Miguel Sr. was the South America lightweight champion in the 1920s, Diaz concentrated on corner work and never turned pro. He initially worked out of Johnny Tocco?s gym here. Now, Diaz has his own facility.
Last month, Diaz was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.
?I?m very excited to be a part of this fight,? said Diaz, quoted by Carp. ?I worked with De la Hoya many years ago before he became a world champion. I was with him when he fought Jorge Paez in 1994 and I have been against Pacquiao when he fought Solis in San Antonio last year. So I know both fighters.?
Roach said he got to know Diaz over 20 years ago as his own trainer. Eddie Futch was tied up with Larry Holmes and couldn?t focus on Roach, then a featherweight contender, so he called Diaz to pitch in. Roach described Diaz? experience as ?invaluable.?
?If Miguel sees something, he?ll tell me,? said Roach. ?Joe?s (Chavez) a close friend of mine and he did a great job with Manny in the second (Juan Manuel) Marquez fight. But Miguel is great in his own right. I?m very pleased to have him with us for this fight.? Diaz said the Dream Match was ?huge for our sport ? you have two of the biggest names in boxing going head to head … I?m just glad they?re letting me be part of it.?
Argentina ? where Diaz is from ? is a boxing hotbed with several world champions, including Pascual Perez (who decisioned Dommy Ursua in Manila in 1958), Juan Martin Coggi (who stopped Morris East in Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires in 1993), Carlos Monzon, Victor Galindez, Santos Laciar and Pedro Decima.
Ironically, Diaz became a boxing legend outside of his home country. He now lives part-time in Puerto Rico to train Cotto.
