Pacquiao dominates Diaz in showdown of champions
LAS VEGAS (TICKER) —Manny Pacquiao added to his impressive resume by knocking out David Diaz with 36 seconds remaining in the ninth round to claim the WBC lightweight championship at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
A legend in his native Philippines and one of the sport’s most popular fighters due to his exciting style, Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) thoroughly dominated his adversary to complete his quest to capture four world titles in as many weight classes.
“I am happy for the win tonight. I never thought I would win four world titles in four different classes,” Pacquiao said. “I feel great at this weight. I feel stronger at 135 pounds than at 130. He did hurt me one time during the fight. David Diaz is a very strong fighter.”
“Did anybody get the number off of that truck?” Diaz said in reference to Pacquiao. “Today is the day that we lost. Tomorrow is another day. He’s fast. The speed was the difference in the fight. I have all of the respect for him.”
Although his WBC junior lightweight belt was not on the line, Pacquiao went on the offensive immediately and opened up a pronounced gash above Diaz’s right eye and across the bridge of his nose.
Pacquiao, who already has won titles at 112, 122 and 130 pounds and owns a non-title victory over Marco Antonio Barrera at 126 pounds, put an end to the carnage in the ninth round with a left jab which caught Diaz on the chin and sent him to the canvas.
The 29-year-old Pacquiao recorded his eighth straight victory since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005. Included in that winning streak is a pair of knockout wins over Morales.
As for his future, Pacquiao let promoter Bob Arum address that topic.
“We will defend the WBC lightweight title later this year,” Arum said. “There is a possibility we could fight (England’s) Ricky Hatton next year. That remains to be seen.”
The 32-year-old Diaz (34-2-1, 17 KOs) was making the second defense of his title after winning a unanimous decision over Morales last August, a verdict which sent the Mexican star into retirement.
On the undercard, Francisco Lorenzo claimed a controversial victory by disqualification over Humberto Soto to claim the interim WBC super featherweight title.
Soto (43-7-2, 27 KOs) dropped Lorenzo (33-4, 14 KOs) twice in the fourth round, but on the second occasion Soto landed another shot on the Dominican boxer while he was down on a knee, causing Lorenzo to bleed heavily. Referee Joe Cortez consulted with other ringside officials before disqualifying Soto.
