Diaz training shrouded in secrecy for Pacquiao fight
By Manny Zambrano
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:26:00 05/06/2008
CHICAGO—Either David Diaz is hiding a lethal weapon or the mere presence of Manny Pacquiao’s countrymen makes him uneasy.
Filipino community photographers here noted Diaz’s uneasiness when they visited the Jabb gym, where the World Boxing Council lightweight champion has been training for nearly three weeks for his title defense against Pacquiao on June 28 in Las Vegas, recently.
All they got from Diaz were choreographed fighting poses and the usual warm-up routines.
Diaz’s handlers refused to allow the Filipino visitors to videotape or to take pictures of the fighter’s hands as they were being taped by trainers.
Unlike Pacquiao, who is always accompanied by a coterie of 20 or so supporters in training, Diaz came to the gym with just three companions.
He arrived 45 minutes earlier than his scheduled noon training in the modern training facility he shares with 20 aspiring fighters from the Spanish-speaking Pilsen neighborhood.
This so-called Windy City, birthplace of the 31-year-old Diaz, along with San Diego, Phoenix and San Antonio, are the key cities in the United States included in the fight’s promotional road show slated by Top Rank chief honcho Bob Arum.
Fact is, Diaz and Pacquiao, the WBC super featherweight champion, will be holding a joint press conference in Chicago’s southwest side on May 21.
“We are inviting the large Filipino community in Chicago to the press conference and media day and to welcome Manny Pacquiao,” Bernie Bahrmasel, Diaz’s publicist, told Philippine Weekly, a community newspaper here.
“David undergoes a rigorous but closed training,” Bahrmasel said, refusing to reveal how long and often the champion trains at the Jabb gym.
Earlier reports indicated that Diaz opened training camp on April 19. The Mexican-American, a four-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion, also sparred a few rounds last week.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, is whipping himself into shape in the Philippines before proceeding to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles on May 10.
He trained at Wild Card-Parañaque for three days this week and tipped the scales at 146 pounds—just 11 over the light-weight limit.
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