Mild chills went up my spine followed by goose bumps all over my arms and neck. It was the first time for me to see David Diaz next to Manny Pacquiao and the result kinda scared me. Diaz's body is much bigger than Manny's, wider, thicker, seemingly stronger. In fact, Pacquiao looked skinny next to him! What does this translate to, I asked myself. I hated to admit it but I was having second thoughts about my fearless prediction that Manny Pacquiao would win. (That was the pessimist in me talking again.)
It turned out that my fears were unfounded as Manny Pacquiao knocked out David Diaz in the ninth round of their scheduled 12-round bout. Round after round Pacquiao dominated,
displaying the speed many thought would be affected by his new weight. In fact, I even think that Manny's tour de force performance was his best yet. Right from the starting bell we could see that he had only one thing in mind, unleash the force of his punches and claim the WBC lightweight title of David Diaz.
My hats off again to my countryman, dispelling doubts whether he truly deserves the ranking as the no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Before this fight many critics were questioning his claim to that title vacated by Floyd Mayweather when he surprisingly retired. Many claim that WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto was a more complete fighter than Pacquiao. However, after that display of speed, power and endurance never before seen in his fights against Morales, Barrera and Marquez, no further justification is needed.
David Diaz fought well and hard, he just couldn't keep up with the speed of Manny's punches. They were coming in from every direction and, at some point, all he could do was defend his fort. I also take my hat off to him for displaying the true heart of a champion. Many wouldn't have lasted that long. But he fought on, displaying the endurance that has been his trademark. In the end though, Pacquiao's superiority shone.
What's next? There have been suggestions in the media of a Pacquiao-Hatton fight a few days this bout with Diaz. And while it seemed that Hatton was too big and too strong for Manny Pacquiao then, it does no longer seem to be true now after what we have witnessed in this fight. It is my unsolicited suggestion, however, that Manny should take things slowly this time. He should settle down in his new weight class before thinking of another jump higher. But that's just me, the skeptic. If he and his camp feel that the Pacman is ready for a much bigger fight than this one, then our support will his as always.
Congratulations Manny, and thank you for once again spreading Pinoy pride all over the globe.
***To give you a better picture of how the fight went, here's the round-by-round analysis by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:ROUND 1
Crowd is heavily pro-Pacquiao as Michael Buffer introduces them. Ex-world champion Fernando Vargas, who has gotten very heavy, walked to the ring with Diaz. The fighters meet in the center of the ring as the bell rings. Pacquiao lands two lefts. Pacquiao is circling and Diaz is moving forward. Diaz lands a combination to the body. Combination to the head and body by Paquiao. Hard left by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a left. Pacquaio’s jab gets through three times in a row. Combination to the head by Pacquiao. Speed edge is huge for Pacquiao. Diaz misses badly with a hook. It’s easy right now for Pacquiao. Diaz lands a right and Pacquiao is warned for holding. Four-punch combination by Pacquiao brings a roar from the crowd. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 2
They trade inside as the round starts. Now, they’re wrestling. Diaz fires a combination to the head, but Pacquiao lands a counter left. Left-right-left from Pacquiao lands. Good left from Diaz. Hard left by Pacquiao. Right hook and a left from Pacquiao. Jab and a hook to the body by Pacquiao. Overhand left from Pacquiao lands. Right hook snaps Diaz’ head. Left-right combination to the head by Pacquiao. He’s teeing off on Diaz. Right hook by Pacquiao. Pacquiao lands a five-punch combination. It’s ridiculously easy at this point for Pacquiao. He’s far outclassing Diaz. Diaz has reddening around the eyes. Another hard combination by Pacquiao. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 3
Diaz opens with a jab. Pacquiao double jabs and then a left. Right hook from Pacquiao. Diaz lands a good right. Four-punch combination to the head by Pacquiao. Hard left by Pacquiao. Pacquiao is simply far too fast. It’s a mismatch at this point. Right hook by Manny lands. Diaz digs to the body. Diaz has a cut on the bridge of his nose, but it shouldn’t be a factor. Jab-left by Pacquiao snaps Diaz’ head. They tie up for only a second and the crowd boos. It’s been a fast pace. Diaz roughs Pacquiao up inside and lands a short right. Combination to the body by Pacquiao. Left cross lands by Pacquiao. Hook to the body by Diaz. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 4
Pacquiao opens with a jab. Diaz lands a right. Hook to the body and hook to the head by Diaz. Pacquiao lands a left that stuns Diaz. Another hard left by Pacquiao. Diaz is cut badly on the right eye. Referee Vic Drakulich stops the fight briefly to allow the doctor to examine the cut. He’s OK to go, but it will bother him. Hard right by Pacquiao. Right hand and then a big left by Pacquiao. Diaz wobbles. Pacquiao is firing away and landing hard, crisp shots. He’s totally dominant. Left by Pacquiao and then they clinch. They trade hard blows, but Pacquiao lands several more. Hook by Pacquiao. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 5
Diaz’s corner has done a good job closing the cut. Diaz lands a hook to the body. Pacquiao lands a hard right. Right by Pacquiao and then a right-left combination on the chin. These punches are going to take a toll on Diaz before much longer. Chopping left by Pacquiao. Diaz bending at the waist and bobbing and weaving, trying to find a way to avoid the punishment. Two rights by Pacquiao lands as the crowd roars its approval. Left to the body by Pacquiao. This is an extremely impressive performance. Diaz cracks Pacquiao with a good right, his best punch of the fight. Three-punch combination by Pacquiao to the head. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 6
Diaz’s cut is on his eyelid and is in a very bad position. Pacquiao is circling and flicks a jab. Diaz lands a right . Pacquiao lands a double hook. Cut is bleeding heavily. Pacquiao not quite as aggressive in this round, but is still landing what he throws. They wrestle in the center. Diaz warned for hitting behind the head. Good left to the head by Pacquiao. Short right inside by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a jab and then a right hand. Three-punch combination inside by Pacquiao and then a hard right to the head. Drakulich calls time to have the cut checked. He lets it continue. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 7
Diaz said in between rounds, “Those punches are just too fast.” Diaz misses badly with a hook. Pacquiao lands a jab and then a right. They’re warned fpr rough tactics. Right to the body by Diaz, but Pacquiao answers with a 1-2 to the head. Left to the body and then to the head by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a jab. Three-punch combination inside by Pacquiao, who just gets off so much quicker. They clinch in the middle. Diaz pops a jab. Pacquiao lands an uppercut and then a right. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 8
Pacquiao opens with a couple of hard punches to the head. How much punishment is the corner going to let Diaz take? They need to think of stopping it now. Diaz seems to have no shot, not even the lucky punch chance to keep his title. Right-left-right by Pacquiao sends Diaz sagging to the ropes. Diaz fights his way off, only to be pummeled in the center of the ring with a blistering combination. Pacquiao raking him along the ropes. This is horrendous. Diaz is taking a frightful beating. Pacquiao continues to batter him with shots. Pacquiao lands a five-punch combination to the head, all of which were hard shots. Left by Pacquiao catches Diaz on the way in. Diaz is wincing. Iole scores it 10-8, Pacquiao
ROUND 9
Diaz’s face is a mess as the round starts and Pacquiao resumes the assault. Pacquiao lands a three-punch combination to the head. Diaz throws a left and a right, which Pacquiao blocks with his gloves. Diaz simply can’t land much. Straight left by Manny snaps Diaz’ head back. Diaz’ left eye is blackening and closing quickly. Pacquiao circles and flicks a couple of jabs. Right hand inside followed by a left sends Diaz down face first. The ref doesn’t even bother to count and waives the fight off at 2:24. Pacquiao wins by knockout
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Pacquiao vs Diaz fight result: speed & strength prevailed
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