| David Diaz WBC Lightweight Champion W 34 (17 ko's) | L 1 | D 1 | Total 36 Sex: Male Nationality: United States Alias: --- Birth Name: David Diaz Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, United States Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USA Rated at: Lightweight World Rank: 7 / 1280 Date of Birth: 1976-06-07 Age: 31 Reach: 69" Stance: Southpaw Height: 5'6" | Manny Pacquiao WBC Featherweight Champion W 46 (35 ko's) | L 3 | D 2 | Total :51 Sex: Male Nationality: Filipino Alias: PacMan Birth Name: Emmanuel D. Pacquiao Hometown: General Santos City, Philippines Birthplace: Bukidnon, Philippines Rated at: Super Featherweight World Rank: 1 / 1032 Date of Birth: 1978-12-17 Age: 29 Reach: 67" Stance: Southpaw Height: 5'6"½ |
About David Diaz
It's been a year since David Diaz defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title – beating Mexican Erik Morales via unanimous decision on August 4. In contrast, his challenger Manny Pacquiao has the momentum of a very recent victory, in which he snatched the WBC super featherweight title from Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.
Can Diaz stop Pacquiao? Or will he be just another rung in the weight ladder for Pacquiao to step on?
Fittingly, Diaz would test Pacquiao's mettle in the same arena where they earned their victories on the very same day – the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, where last March 15 (March 16 in the Philippines) Pacquiao beat Marquez, and where Diaz, in a 10-round nontitle undercard, beat Ramon Montano.
On June 28 (June 29 in the Philippines), Diaz will bank on the strengths listed in his official website www.diazboxing.com: "Diaz is a lefthander with an aggressive style and good skills. At his best, he keeps a busy pace, pressures his opponents and wears them down. David is tough and durable, possessing above average physical strength. He is always in good condition and has good stamina."
Diaz is also a natural lightweight, which may be a slight advantage over Pacquiao, who's fighting at 135 lbs. for the very first time.
The only thing more certain is that it's going to be a thrilling bout, as both fighters have a never-quit attitude, which they had shown against a common opponent that they had – Mexican Erik Morales.
About Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacman Pacquiao, born in Bukidnon but raised in General Santos City, was named 2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Manny Pacquiao has come a long way since starting his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 pounds at the age of 16. His early fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow evening boxing show.
His first professional fight was a four-round bout against Edmund Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Manny Pacquiao won via decision, thus becoming an instant star of the program.
In just a few years, Manny Pacquiao went on to become a three-division champ – featherweight, bantamweight, and flyweight. Hes rated no. 1 by the WBC, no. 3 by the IBF, and no. 1 by the WBO.
In Mexico, Manny Pacquiao is known as "Republica Enemy No.1" and "verdugo de mexicanos" because he has beaten up some of the best Mexican fighters since 2003 - Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar Larios, Emanuel Lucero, and Hector Velazquez.
After beating Barrera in 2003, he managed to get a drawn match against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004. Many Pacman Pacquiao fans considered the decision questionable because Manny Pacquiao sent Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round.
He got the same honor from The Ring magazine for his two spectacular knockout victories of Mexican icon and three-division champion Erik Morales and his round unanimous 12-round decision over former world champion and current No. 1 contender Oscar Larios.
Manny Pacquiao has fought six other boxers since he last faced Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004, losing only one, against Erik Morales in March 2005. But he had his revenge in January 2006,defeating El Terrible twice in their trilogy of matches.
Just last October 2007, he got another milestone victory in his career, beating challenger Marco Antonio Barrera, whom Marquez had earlier stripped of the World Boxing Council super featherweight title.
Now will Manny Pacquiao be able to snatch the belt from Marquez?
Many of his fans feel that he could. After all, when Manny Pacquiao last faced Marquez, in 2004, he managed to send the Mexican three times down the canvas – and all in the very first round. Never mind that the judges made a controversial decision to declare the match a draw.
In recent interviews, Manny Pacquiao himself repeatedly affirmed his confidence in his sharper skills, especially now that he has been under the most intensive training in his entire career.
But as always, he was careful not to be overconfident, saying: "Mahirap ng magsalita ng tapos."
It was lesson that Manny Pacquiao learned recently, not in the boxing ring but in the political arena, in the 2007 national elections.
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