THANKS TO MANNY PACQUIAO
Chicago-pride Diaz attracts enormous public attention
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 25 Mar 2008
CHICAGO ? David Diaz is extremely popular here for two main reasons: 1. For being crownholder of the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight division and 2. For being a member of the 1996 US Olympic Team (light welterweight division).
But Diaz?s popularity zoomed to heights recently after words spread here that the four-time Chicago Golden Gloves and three-time National Golden Gloves champion will soon risk his WBC jewels versus WBC superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao tentatively on June 28 in Las Vegas.
Coming home for the first time to spend the Lenten week here since hosting an open workout at the fabulous JABB Boxing Gym (410 N. Oakley, Chicago, IL 60612) last March 6, Diaz (34-1, 17 KOs) attracts enormous attention from fight fans and sportswriters.
Fresh from a tortuous 10-round majority decision win over Pacquiao?s sparring parter Ramon Montano in the undercard of the ?Unfinished Business? main event slugfest between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez last March 15 in Las Vegas, Diaz said he will start revving up for his historic showdown versus the Ring Magazine superfeatherweight world champion from the Philippines after the Lenten week.
While Pacquiao was mobbed in Manila upon his arrival last Monday morning and whisked away to Malaca?ang to meet Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Diaz was enjoying his ?precious? time with his family here.
The author, Alex Vidal, poses with David Diaz at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas during the Pacquiao-Marquez fight last week.
Starting last March 24, pundits and fans started to form a beeline in the JABB Boxing Gym to take a glimpse of the 31-year-old southpaw who lost to Oktay Urkal of Germany (6-14) after a decisive RSC (referee stop the contest) win over Jacobo Garcia of Virgin Islands at 0:33 of the third round in the Atlanta Olympics.
Chicago fans simply like Diaz for being amiable and for being always available each time they approached him, observed local boxer Gerome Guadalupe.
?The Chicago fight fans and media have always been very supportive and I?m glad to open up my workout to them (before I flew to Las Vegas for the Montano duel),? said Diaz. ?We had a big crowd at our last one before the Morales fight and it was great to see everyone.?
In his last bout before edging Montano, Diaz, who as an amateur record of 175 wins against 16 losses, defended his title in an epic battle against boxing legend and Pacquiao victim Erik Morales on August 4, 2007 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL, before 10,000 Chicago fight fans.
The fistic debate about which fighter is the best finally was settled when Marquez yielded his crown to Pacquiao via split decision in a 12-round battle for pound-for-pound supremacy.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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