Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Quijano: The FAQs on Pacquiao vs. Diaz By Jingo Quijano Last Round
HOW will the added weight affect Manny Pacquiao?
One common misconception is that Manny bulked up to get to the 135-pound division. The truth is, Manny did not actually get bigger for this fight.
When Manny moved up to lightweight, what happened was that Manny simply had to cut less poundage for the weigh-in. Whereas before he had to make 130 pounds., he now has to make “just” 135 pounds.
Remember that a fighter’s walk-around weight and fighting weight are two different things. Manny probably walks around at 150 pounds when he’s not in training and that did not change for this fight—only that instead of going all the way down to 130, he can now stop at 135.
Hence, Manny did not become any bigger for this fight than he did when he fought Juan Manuel Marquez.
However, because he is now campaigning at a higher weight division, his opponents did.
While David Diaz is a bit shorter than Manny, he has a thicker build and probably weighs more than 145 at fight time—a far cry from Marquez who checked in not more than 140 pounds.
Will Manny’s power dissipate at this weight?
This I am also quite curious to find out. Remember that Manny has failed to register a KO in his last two fights although he scored a knockdown against Marquez.
Actually not all fighters lose their power when they move up in weight. While that may be a general rule, that rule admits of an exception.
This happens when a fighter has been fighting at that division too long and has outgrown it.
The result is a fighter who constantly has to exert Herculean efforts to drain himself making the weight, which produces abysmal performances come fight time.
A case in point would be Felix “Tito” Trinidad who was reportedly weight-drained and weak when he faced-off against Oscar dela Hoya in their much-hyped welterweight showdown.
In his next fight, he moved north to 154 pounds and defeated David Reid after knocking him down twice. He then demonstrated his proficiency at this new weight by demolishing Mamadou Thiam in three rounds and “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas in 12 brutal stanzas.
It remains to be seen, whether the same holds true for Manny.
Can Manny take Diaz’ power?
On paper, Diaz isn’t much of a knockout artist. (17 KOs in 34 wins). But remember, Manny has never before tasted the power of a lightweight (sparring sessions aside).
A difference of a few pounds may not seem much but multiply that few pounds by the number of punches a fighter gets hit in a fight and I can assure you that sooner or later those added few pounds behind the punches would matter. A lot.
That being said, in this fight Manny should concern himself less with whether or not he can take Diaz’ power but on how he can avoid Diaz’ clubbing blows.
Is Diaz not in Manny’s class?
Diaz is actually a much better fighter than most people give him credit for.
He plods around flat-footed, and likes to parry his opponent’s punches with his face. But he’s always in terrific condition and loves to bull rush his opponents before unloading his combinations.
He’s a ’96 Olympian with only one loss on his resume. He definitely has earned his shot at today’s pound-for-pound king. (To be concluded on Sunday)
LAST ROUND. It’s on the “Black T” of the UP Latagaw Brotherhood, Junie Butawan, who celebrates his birthday today. Cheers!
