Boxing in Las Vegas: Kevin Iole: Diaz the forgotten man.htm

DIAZ THE FORGOTTEN CHAMP

by Kevin Iole
Yahoo! Sports

The New York Giants were 13½-point underdogs to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, but the media still acted like the Giants mattered to the event.

Rocco Mediate was, oh, probably a 1,000-to-1 shot to win the U.S. Open, but he still got as much airtime on NBC as Tiger Woods.

Boxing, however, is different. It’s a star-driven sport perhaps more than any other. And though it is David Diaz who is defending the WBC lightweight title Saturday against Manny Pacquiao on HBO Pay-Per-view at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, he’s little more than a bit part to the story playing out.

The affable Diaz has made dozens of appearances and done hundreds of interviews in the last few weeks of a barnstorming tour designed to hype pay-per-view sales, but he’s treated as the boxing equivalent of his beloved Chicago Cubs, little more than a lovable loser.

At least three quarters of the questions he was asked Tuesday were about Pacquiao. A story in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal was about a rematch between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez and largely ignored the fact that Diaz is the reigning champion, or that Pacquiao is no slam dunk to win on Saturday.

Pacquiao is about a 3-1 favorite in the Las Vegas sports books, ranked No. 1 in the Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound poll and about as big a star as there is in boxing other than Oscar De La Hoya.

Diaz has been down this road before. He was the opponent when promoters were hoping to see veteran Erik Morales become the first Mexican boxer to win a world title in four weight classes when they fought for the then-vacant WBC lightweight belt.

He knows all about being overlooked and isn’t particularly concerned that few so much as know who he is, let alone give him a chance to win the fight.

“That’s their opinion, but I have my own opinion and that’s all that matters, truthfully,” Diaz said. “I pay no mind to what people say because they are going to say what they want anyway.”

Pacquiao is gunning for a world title in his fourth weight class, after racking up championships at flyweight, junior featherweight and super featherweight. If he wins, he’d become the first Filipino-born fighter to hold a version of the lightweight belt.

But what many who give Diaz no chance are overlooking is the significant size advantage that Diaz possesses.

Pacquiao, who began his career as a junior flyweight, has fought 40 of his 51 fights at 122 pounds or lighter. He’s only weighed as much as 130 in one of those fights.

Diaz, by contrast, is the naturally bigger man. He represented the U.S. in the 1996 Olympics, part of the same class that produced Floyd Mayweather Jr., Fernando Vargas and Antonio Tarver.

Diaz was a 139-pounder in the Olympics and spent the early part of his professional career at super lightweight and welterweight. Unlike Pacquiao, who has weighed 119 or less in 29 bouts, Diaz weighed 140 or more in 17 bouts, nearly half his career total of 36.

As gifted as Pacquiao is – and he’s mighty gifted – the size is going to catch up to him if he keeps moving up. Bigger guys generally can take bigger punches, meaning it’s likely Diaz will be able to absorb Pacquiao’s shots better than opponents have at 122, 126 and 130 pounds.

“We have a lot of respect for what Manny has accomplished in his career,” Diaz trainer Mike Garcia said. “Eventually, it becomes too much, though. There’s a reason guys can only go so far.”

Much of Pacquiao’s power comes from his blinding hand speed, and even his trainer, Freddie Roach, concedes that the leap in weight may be at the cost of some of his speed.

But Diaz isn’t hoping to capitalize on a less-than-his-best Pacquiao, just as he bristles at the notion he won his title by defeating a shopworn Morales.

Even with Pacquiao at his peak, Diaz insists, he’ll come out on top.

“David is a very strong-willed guy, and he has a deep belief in himself,” promoter Bob Arum said. “Everyone is telling him he can’t, but he’s certain that he can.”

Diaz was born in the shadows of Wrigley Field and is a die-hard Cubs fan. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Cubs have the best record in baseball and are winning nearly 80 percent of their home games at a time when Diaz is looking to ascend to the top of the boxing world.

The Cubs haven’t won the World Series since 1908 and haven’t won the National League pennant since 1945. If any year looked good for them to end the curse – more on that later – this seems to be it.

“Oh, I hope so,” Diaz said, turning his eyes skyward. “God, I hope so.”

At a news conference Monday at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif., a goat wearing a Cubs hat was paraded onto the dais. The goat supposedly is a direct descendant of one that Billy Sianis brought to a 1945 World Series game at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Tigers.

But Sianis and the goat were kicked out at the behest of then-Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley when it began to rain because Wrigley said the wet goat stank. Outraged, Sianis left and went to Greece on vacation. When the Cubs lost that Series, Sianis wrote Wrigley and asked, “Who stinks now?” And he supposedly placed the “Curse of the Billy Goat” on the Cubs.

Pacquiao knew nothing of the curse but beamed upon seeing the goat on Monday. Asked about it on Tuesday, he said, “I liked the goat. Goat is my favorite food.”

Diaz, though, would have no part of the goat and avoided it as if it were radioactive. The last thing he wants to do is extend any kind of a curse upon the Cubs.

He knows there are millions who doubt the Cubs will win, just as there are many who don’t give Diaz any chance to defeat Pacquiao.

This, though, might be the time the guy from Second City turns up first.

“If you listen to what everybody says and thinks, you might as well not even show up,” Diaz said. “But that’s one of the great things about boxing. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or anyone else says. All that matters is what you believe and what you do. And I believe I’m going to win this fight and bring this title back home with me (to Chicago).

“I respect Manny for his talents and for what he’s accomplished, but I’m not intimidated or worried or afraid. Nothing anyone says or writes or does is going to change my belief in myself. I’m coming to win, and that’s all there is to it.”

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