27.06.08 – By Vivek Wallace, Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank — In this weeks ‘Call Em Out Fridays’ installment we take a look at a man who stands on the brink of accomplishing something few have. That immeasurable feat is a victory over Filipino phenom Manny Pacquaio. To some, David Diaz is simply another face in the crowd. To those aware of his worth, they’d strongly beg to differ. Like any other of my ‘Call Em Out Fridays’ segments, today we’ll take a look at the subject (David Diaz), as it relates to the “Fan Perspective”, the “Critic Perspective”, and in the end, like always, we turn it over to get your perspective, as the readers chime in via comments.
David Diaz – (The ‘Fan’ Perspective): For those who have followed David Diaz over the years, they can attest that Saturday evening represents a chance of a lifetime.. Despite great recognition received a year ago from his victory over Mexican Erik Morales, that high point would pale in comparison to the accolades to be bestowed upon him in the event that he actually gets a convincing victory over Manny Pacquiao. Some don’t consider him to have a chance, but those who are familiar with him knows that he could be a couple good rounds away from perceived greatness when this fight ends. Diaz isn’t known as some type of legendary pure boxer but perhaps the best thing about him is his ability to think in the ring. He has a very uncanny ability to break down an opponent with a mixed bag of goods. One major aspect of his arsenal that seems to go unnoticed is his great ability to land crushing body shots. As it relates to this fight, few can remember Pacquiao ever having to deal with a dedicated body banger, and according to some sources, you can look for Diaz to capitalize on his penchant to deliver to the midsection perhaps more than ever before in this fight. Pacquiao has dealt with some great ones in his day, but this time around he attempts to conquer uncharted territory by climbing into a very battle tested lightweight division. Although relatively new for Pacquiao, this is a division that Diaz has owned a strap in for slightly less than two years. A vicious southpaw and a very solid technician, Diaz’s greatness can be chronicled well back to his amateur career where he was solid enough to not only land him various Golden Glove accolades, but in a rarely discussed stat, he also holds two victories (in the amateur ranks) over current welterweight Zab Judah. That says a mouthful for a man of few words.
David Diaz (The ‘Critic’ Perspective): Despite his veteran ability, Diaz comes into this fight knowing full well that this is one opponent who has an arsenal that is rare to come by. For the first time in perhaps a long time, Diaz will step into the ring against a fighter who won’t back down and compromise his game plan when he feels his power. For all the good attributes associated with Diaz, skeptics quietly analyze exactly what his reaction would be in a fight against an opponent of this magnitude, still considered to be in his prime. We all saw Diaz hit the deck early against the less-powerful Erik Morales, and we’ve also seen him stunned and systematically outgunned at points by other opponents. Granted, he only has one lost in 36 pro fights, but his power (as witnessed in only 17 KO’s among them) leave some to openly ponder whether it will be deemed too minimal to render the type of results he needs in a showdown against the Filipino. Pacquiao is a fighter who has fought to victory by overcoming a wide assortment of odds. Few in the sport have such a spirited command when in the ring like that of Pacquiao, and you can rest assured that there will be points where Diaz has to dig deep to withstand a wrath that he’s never before encountered. His heart has never been in question, but then again he’s never stood face to face with Pacquiao either. It was quite interesting to hear Diaz admit publicly that Pacquiao “looked great” and seemed “bigger in person” than he thought he was. This is coming from a guy who has campaigned as a lightweight contender for his whole career, referring to a man who has never entered this weight class. All of a sudden those statements in the past from Pacquiao that refer to him “walking around comfortably between fights at 145lbs to 150lbs” seem to bare proof. To Diaz’s credit, walking around at that weight is one thing, but how well Pacquiao will sustain his normal energy level with that extra weight is totally different. (Ask Ricky Hatton).
David Diaz – (Bottomline Analysis): Despite the strengths and weaknesses involved, few can argue that Diaz won’t be game when the bell finally rings on Saturday night and the fight commences. By all recent accounts, Diaz has spoken like a man on a mission who won’t be denied. It was this same tone of blunt arrogance that was identified when Antonio Tarver did the once unthinkable by defeating Roy Jones Jr. We can all agree that no Diaz victory scenario will come in such a marveled fashion, but to say that his chances aren’t very good to win I think would be misinformation at it’s best. Diaz is a vicious southpaw with enough ring smarts to employ good strategy in any battle, and I think his chances in this fight will ultimately come down to a couple things. 1.) His ability to weather the occasional storm of Manny Pacquiao. Because we all know that there will be points in which Pacquiao will smother him with everything in his arsenal without letting up. And 2.) His ability to land powerfully enough to earn Pacquiao’s attention from the beginning. It’s important for Diaz to come out with his gunz blazing early, because if he lets Pacquiao set the tone, it won’t be long before we see him suffer what would only be the second loss of his career. In the end, Diaz has to realize that Pacquiao has a number of challenges already lined up; A possible showdown with Ricky Hatton, another showdown with Marquez, a potential unification bonanza against the ever-ready Nate Campbell, and in an all out fantasy, a frequently discussed welterweight campaign that could one day culminate into a catchweight fight against Oscar Dela Hoya. If Diaz is to derail those plans and put himself in contention to earn one or two of those mega fights instead, he will need to capitalize on this one shot at greatness. Contrary to what most believe, he has the skillset to make it happen, but executing the plan won’t come as easy.
Prediction: Controversial Draw (Public perception that Diaz wins the fight)
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