| By Curt and Jamila Hayman (Chief Editors),
on Saturday Jun, 28 2008 11:50:18 pm MST
|
 LAS VEGAS — It was as heavy as the flashy belt he wore into the ring Saturday night, the underdog role capable of weighing down defending
WBC lightweight champion David Diaz if he allowed it.
The Chicagoan was to fight Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, but he also was battling 5-to-1 odds in Pacquiao's favor, the doubt of boxing's
establishment and a self-induced responsibility to his family's homeland of Mexico.
With his father leading the way into that cauldron at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Diaz fought all of it, battling Pacquiao for eight-plus rounds before going down in the ninth on a technical knockout.
Pacquiao became the first Asian fighter to win four championship belts in four divisions, though some argue his WBC International super-bantamweight title would make this his fifth. He also became the first Filipino to win a lightweight title in his first fight in that weight class. Complete Coverage here
Diaz, despite his status as a former Olympian and lightweight world champ, was regarded lightly, with one boxing Web site referring to him as "a pleasant plodder with limited skills and a big
heart."
The Los Angeles Times said Diaz only "recently emerged as a marquee boxer after years of matches against guys who went back to the their day jobs at McDonald's after he beat them."
The man Diaz defeated for the title this spring was, in fact, the fading Erik
Morales, who was ahead in the bout until Diaz dragged the fight into the final round and won a decision. Pacquiao lost to Morales in '05 before beating him in two subsequent meetings.
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Last update: Sunday Jun, 29 2008 10:14:40 pm MST
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