LAS VEGAS, NEV. (June 27, 2008) — photos by Naoki Fukuda — If World-Famous Freddie Roach has his way, there will be a fourth man in the ring Saturday night when his star pupil, WBC super featherweight champion MANNY PACQUIAO, challenges WBC lightweight titleist David Diaz. A maître d’!!! “I have Manny ready to go,” said Roach. “Manny’s going to eat Diaz’s lunch on Saturday night and have Billy Goat for dinner. I’m thinking of sending Manny out with a napkin tied around his neck and a fork in his glove. If Cubs fans thought the meltdown of 1969 was bad, wait until Manny lights it up like Mrs. O’Leary’s cow!.”
During Monday’s press conference in Los Angeles, a goat, an alleged descendent of Murphy, the goat owned by William Sianis, was presented to Diaz and Pacquiao (photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank) ..
Cubs fans are well aware of the “Curse of the Billy Goat” from 1945 when Sianis, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, and Murphy, were thrown out of Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the World Series. Sianis put a hex on the Cubs, claiming they would never again win a pennant or play in the World Series. The Cubs lost the ’45 World Series to the Detroit Tigers and they have never again won the pennant, much less appeared in another World Series.
“Listen, man, when I saw that goat, that scared me,” Diaz said. “I started shaking. Imagine if the Cubs start losing. I’m not having that on my ticket. No way am I going to be responsible for the Cubs losing.”
Pacquiao’s reaction? “I like goats….medium rare.”
Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, attempts to become the first Asian to win four sanctioned world titles in as many different divisions, when he challenges Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KOs), from Chicago, for his title, This Saturday! June 28, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Remaining tickets for Pacquiao vs.Diaz, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or Mandalay Bay (702) 632-7580. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, the Pacquiao vs. Diaz pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Diaz fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.