No buenas for Diaz

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

FILIPINO boxing icon Manny Pacquiao again wowed the Filipino people by scoring a sensational ninth round knockout victory over David Diaz to wrest the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title last Sunday at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada.

You saw, we saw, how the General Santos City-born Pacquiao rained punches on the Chicago-born Diaz from round one up to eight and finished him off at ninth.

Where his compatriots failed in their bids in the lightweight division, Pacquiao accomplished and he now goes down in history as the first Filipino prizefighter to win the 135-lb world crown.

Bert Somodio in 1961, Flash Elorde in 1964 and 1966, Dindo Canoy in 1995 and Randy Suico in 2006. The four were far from capturing the title after absorbing a terrible beating from their opponents.

But Pacquiao was very different from the four. It was the other way around.

He’s the only Asian boxer to win four world titles in different classes, the WBC flyweight, International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight and the WBC super featherweight and lightweight divisions.

Boxing gurus like WBC president Jose Sulaiman was so impressed after the fight that he declared Pacman, 29, is undoubtedly the number one boxer in the world pound-for-pound.

I will echo his words.

Pacquiao is now at the level of world sports superstars like Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer, Joe Namath, Pele and even Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

And with that sterling performance he displayed against Diaz, many say he will beat the International Boxing Organization (IBO) junior welterweight (140-lb) titlist Ricky Hatton if the proposed fight materializes early next year.

That will be his fifth world diadem if lucky to win and I believe he can do it too.

I said it on this paper in our June 1 and 29 issues that Pacman will make history in Philippine and Asian boxing. And you and I were right.

That got me drunk last Sunday by winning two cases of beers plus pulutan.

Hik, hik, hik. but it was just for fun.

And for Diaz who suffered his second loss after 37 battles, no buenas dias for him.

Well, maybe if he fights other boxers, yes, but not against the southpaw Pacman.

That fight gave the Mexican blooded Diaz a big lesson from Pacman.

* * *

Congrats to Haridas Pascua, the chess whiz kid from Mangatarem who defeated GM Mark Paragua last Wednesday during the National Open Chess Championship organized by former Congressman Prospero Pichay, president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

Connoisseurs say the young guy and townmate of Pare Al Mnedoza will be going somewhere someday soon. He is on the right track earning a grandmaster norm. And if that happens, he will be the first Pangasinense to achieve that feat, which Anda boy Rodolfo Tan Cardoso failed to garner.

Unfortunately, Pascua is representing the University of Baguio and not any of our schools here or even our province Pangasinan.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Something is very wrong.

Pangasinan is a very big province pero saan kaya tayo pupunta? Our athletes are being neglected, Pareng Al said. I can’t agree more. 

(Readers may reach columnist at biking.jess@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/
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