Hall
of Fame Top Rank promoter Bob Arum (ctr) speaks during a press
conference above the Pacific Ocean at the west end of the historic
Santa Monica Pier today as "Billy the Goat" looks on. Chicago-born
WBC lightweight champion David Diaz (not pictured) proclaims that
when he defeats three-time world champion Manny Pacquiao (L) of the
Philippines it will lift the curse at Wrigley Field. The Curse of the
Billy Goat is a curse on the Chicago Cubs that was started in 1945.
Diaz and Pacquiao will battle for the WBC lightweight championship on
Top Rank's "Lethal Combination" show, live on HBO Pay-Per-View
Saturday, June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
LETHAL COMBUSTION... by Francisco
Guzman
There is one thing I noticed about Manny in his last fight with
Marquez. When he is cut he tends to panic.
Pacquiao doesn’t like the sight of his own blood.
MY PICK IS PACQUIAO OVER DIAZ EARLY OR LATE... by George Elsasser
Pacquiao, one dimensional or not, is too
quick, with good enough punching power to close the show early
- as in stanza one, two or three - if my guess is wrong and
Diaz is stopped late, a knockout is a knockout by any other
name.
The respective rap sheets pretty much sum up
most of how and why Pacquiao is my choice - while Diaz has no
more than a single loss and a draw among 36 kept appointments,
the résumé is a padded one when held next to the Pacquiao
star-studded version.
WILL
THE FREIGHT TRAIN KNOWN AS PACQUIAO KEEP ROLLING OR WILL THE
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION GET ROCKED AGAIN?... by Tom Dickey
There is a lot of speculation that this will be a one fight
visit to the 135 pound division, because he has eyes for some
guys at 140, mainly Ricky Hatton. Some of Pacquiao's big money
fight partners have vanished. Erik Morales and Marco Antonio
Barrera have retired. He took care of past business by beating
Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight. Floyd Mayweather was a
slight possibility, but even he has supposedly retired.
QUOTES
TO LIVE AND FIGHT BY...
DIAZ: “If this fight has to go one round, I will go one
round. If it has to go 12-rounds, I will go 12-rounds. This
has been my best camp and I feel great. And I know Manny’s
going to be at his best also. He’s got his nation on his
shoulders and history in front of him. I don’t make any
excuses and I know he doesn’t either. This is going to be an
old-fashioned fight.
“This is my chance to knock down the wall. Manny is the wall
and I’ve got to go knock it down.”
PACQUIAO: “I am very comfortable at 135. The power is
no concern - I feel stronger at 135. What we have been working
on is to maintain my speed. Because of moving up there is a
chance to get slower, but fighting bigger guys is definitely
not a problem for me.”
“I am looking forward to fighting David Diaz. He has the same
style as me…move in and fight. It’s going to be a good fight.”
PACQUIAO vs. DIAZ FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
PACQUIAO:
“It is so important for me to win because I have dedicated this fight to my
countrymen and it will make them happy if I win. After the fight I will get
back there and I will do something to help them.”
(Note: Filipino media brought it to Manny’s attention today that many people at
home are without food and shelter. But the thing many are really worried about
is if the power will return by Saturday so they may watch the fight.)
DIAZ: “My Olympic team was probably the most talented. We had Vargas, Cauthen,
Tarver, Mayweather, Gayardo, Clay-Bey, Eric Morel, Zahir Raheem and Nate Jones.
There will probably never be another team like that again.”
PACQUIAO vs DIAZ: AN
ELECTRIFYING EVENT! ... by Bill Stephens
This will go down as one of the great fights
of 2008. An important fight for both scrappers' careers.
A determined Diaz committed to going the
distance and grinding it out to a victory. The skillful
Pacquiao not taking the fight lightly, but confident in his
ability to get the job done for his fellow countrymen. Diaz has
the ability to give Pacquiao a good aggressive exchange
guaranteed to give the fight fans their money's worth.
LIFTING UP THE VEIL ON
THE PACQUIAO - DIAZ MATCH UP... by Ricky Ray Taylor
Look up the word FALLACY in the dictionary
and you'll get "a deceptive, misleading, or false notion,
belief, etc." Perhaps the updated version should take it
a step further and place this Saturday's PACQUIAO/DIAZ match-up
as a footnote!
Truth said, I've been hard pressed to jump on the Pacquaio
bandwagon. Yes, he's flashy and has a magnetic charisma about
him, but his awkwardness & throw-for-the-fences demeanor in the
ring just always seemed to me like it had time limit written
all over it.
CHICAGO'S DAVID DIAZ: HERO OR
GOAT?
Chicago’s David Diaz is
escorted by Billy Goat at Los Angeles Press Conference as Diaz
promises to lift Wrigley Field’s “Curse of the Billy Goat” with
win on Saturday, June 28
against
Manny Pacquiao live
on Pay-Per-View from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
PACQUIAO vs DIAZ: ARE MANY SCRIBES AND FANS PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE
HORSE? ... by Jim Amato
The eyes of the boxing world will be focused
on Manny Pacquiao next Saturday in his quest to win the
lightweight title. To some, Manny winning this fight and a
piece of the lightweight crown is a foregone conclusion. Many
feel that Manny is the today's best active pound for pound
boxer. A win
Saturday could open the door for mega fights between Manny and
Ricky Hatton and maybe even a Pacquiao - De La Hoya
confrontation. It seems to me that many boxing scribes and fans
are putting the cart way before the horse.
MANNY PACQUIAO vs
DAVID DIAZ: "TAKE ALL, BY NAME AND NATURE..." by Gary
Todd
When Emmanuel D. Pacquiao came into the world, a world
of harsh poverty, and later as a little boy, with the
grim prospect of an even harsher future ahead, do you
think he could have ever imagined the life he would be
leading now, as a boxing superstar, an actor and a Filipino
legend? When I asked him a few years back, the
answer I got was a big “ Oo, Oo” [yes, yes]. It was
never easy for the wiry flyweight, fighting his first
23 fights for very little rewards as a professional
prize fighter.
PACQUIAO ON DIAZ:
"IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT FIGHT BECAUSE OUR STYLES ARE SIMILAR..."
"It’s a very big honor to me
and to my country to put my name in boxing history.
It’s (really for the Filipino) so we’re very proud that - I’m very proud of
that. I’m going to win this fight...'
PACQUIAO: "I WILL PUT MY
NAME IN BOXING HISTORY FOR MY COUNTRY..." ..
by Bill Stephens
If Pacquiao wins the June 28th bout with Diaz he will be the
first Asian fighter to win the championship in four different weight
divisions. Pacquiao stated, “I will put my name in boxing history for my
country.”
PUBLIC INVITED TO
PACQUIAO - DIAZ FINAL WEST COST NEWS CONFERENCE!
WBC super featherweight champion MANNY PACQUIAO, boxing’s
No. 1 pound for pound fighter, and WBC lightweight champion
DAVID DIAZ, the pride of Chicago, will host the final west
coast news conference for their world title fight, above the
Pacific Ocean at the West End of the historic Santa Monica
Pier, this Monday, June 23 at noon. The event is open to the
public.
DAVID DIAZ: "I'M GOING TO
GET IN THERE AND GRIND IT OUT..."... by Bill Stephens
David Diaz, 'The Pride of Chicago' was in a good mood as he answered
questions from the media.
The WBC Lightweight Champion feels he is more than ready for his bout with
Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, June 28th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort
Casino in Las Vegas Nevada.
PACMAN vs HITMAN? - A FIGHT FAN'S DREAM... by Mark Urban
Three weight world champion Manny Pacquiao
has stated his desire to step up in weight yet again, this time
to fight Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton at Light Welterweight.
Talking before his Lightweight match-up
against David Diaz, the Filipino explained that he doesn't see
the move up to 140 lbs to be a problem, stating that most of
his sparring partners weigh between the 140-150lb mark anyway.
With Hatton already a big favourite with the fans, and the
"Pacman" also popular due to his aggressive fighting style,
this is every fight fan's dream.
COTTO, PACQUIAO AND PAVLIK -
BOXING'S BIG THREE!
Great eras in
sports are defined by the athletes that compete in them. On
the eve of the U.S. Open golf championship, we are reminded of
golf's "Big Three" --
Arnold Palmer,
Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player -- who
ushered in the sport's television era contributing to its
popularity explosion. Boxing's "Big Three" --
MIGUEL
COTTO
, MANNY
PACQUIAO and KELLY PAVLIK –
is attracting the same excitement and international attention
from media and fans alike. Together, Cotto, Pacquiao and
Pavlik own “Majors” -- world titles -- in seven different
weight divisions, with a combined record of
112-3-2 (90
KOs) – a winning percentage
of 95.7%
and a victory by knockout ratio of
80%!
MANNY PACQUIAO PREPARES FOR FULL MEDIA DAY IN CHICAGO ON
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
"I am looking forward to my first visit to The Windy City
and meeting Chicago's great boxing fans -- both Hispanic and
Filipino," said Manny Pacquiao. "Chicago has a lot to be proud
of in its world champion David Diaz. I just hope Chicago
doesn't think of me as an ill-mannered guest when I go
after David and his title with everything I have on June
28th."
When two explosive world champions at the top of their game
mix it up for the world title, it’s a “Lethal Combination!”
Newly-crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight
champion MANNY PACQUIAO and WBC lightweight champion DAVID
DIAZ will battle in a 12-round rumble with Diaz’s title at
stake.
PACQUIAO, DIAZ WILL HOST A NEWS CONFERENCE MAY
13 TO ANNOUNCE WORLD LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
WBC super featherweight champion MANNY PACQUIAO, the No. 1
pound for pound most exciting fighter, and WBC lightweight champion DAVID DIAZ,
the pride of Chicago, will host a news conference announcing their world title
fight. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Pacquiao
vs. Diaz will take place Saturday, June 28, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino,
Las Vegas, Nevada.
'THE MEXICUTIONER' PACQUIAO IS ABOUT TO BECOME 'THE MEXICUTIONEE,' SAYS
DAVID DIAZ
World Boxing
Council (WBC) lightweight champion DAVID
DIAZ (34-1-1, 17 KOs), from Chicago, paid
a media day visit to San Antonio yesterday, May 6, to talk up
his title defense against WBC super featherweight champion and
Filipino national treasure MANNY
PACQUIAO (46-3-2, 34 KOs).
After visiting The Alamo, the birthplace of Texas
independence from Mexico, Diaz, whose family hails from
Mexico, said: "Yesterday may have been Cinco de Mayo, but June
28 will be the sinking of Manny. His drive for five world
titles will stall out when we meet in the ring in Las Vegas. I
didn't work this hard to win the title just to become another
notch on Pacquiao's belt. The Mexicutioner is about to become
the Mexicutionee."
JUNE 28: MANNY PACQUIAO vs. DAVID DIAZ - “LETHAL COMBINATION” - TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!
When two explosive world champions at the top of their game
mix it up for the world title, it’s a “Lethal Combination!”
Newly-crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight
champion MANNY PACQUIAO and WBC lightweight champion DAVID
DIAZ will battle in a 12-round rumble with Diaz’s title
at stake. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP
Promotions, Pacquiao vs. Diaz will take place Saturday, June
28, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and will be produced
and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m.
EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.
Tickets for Pacquiao vs. Diaz priced at $600, $400, $300, $200
and $100 are now on sale.
