David Diaz: A Glance at the Underdog

A former Olympian and current WBC Lightweight champion, David Diaz is rated the lesser of the two fighters. Sports analysts and writers have deemed Diaz to have lesser punching power than Pacquiao (35 knockouts in 46 fights), as evident in his record (34-1-1) where 17 out of his 34 victories are by way of knockout.

There is also a matter of speed and mobility. Speed, when used to its full effect, can win any boxing match. Pacquiao is a speed demon. Diaz is not.

Both are Southpaws and both fighters love to slug it out. But all those who went toe-to-toe against Pacquiao wound up losing. Diaz can take damage, that is certain. But can he maintain his composure if he chooses to exchange heavy blows with Pacquaio? I think not.

But all that said, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach does not dismisses the champion. As Roach pointed out, Diaz is a champion because he trained hard and fought his way up. Diaz sent the legendary Erik Morales into retirement last year in a fight many thought Morales would win. He is a master of upsets.

“I’ll just have to prove everybody else wrong,” Diaz said in a press conference.