Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz Press Conference was held this afternoon May 13, 2008 at Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, California.

The event was a show of professionalism as both fighters showed class and respect. Both fighters lack the boastful air of most boxers, both did not put down their opponent. They are both humble in their answer when asked about the fight by the press. This gentlemen fighters have temperaments that fit each others style.

Although Manny Pacquiao is heavily favored in this fight, David Diaz hoped and anticipates a thrilling fight.

Manny Pacquiao Transcript

"Thank you. Good afternoon everybody. Uhm, thank you Bob. And to my trainor, Freddie Roach. And to uh, Governor... And to this company. Good afternoon. And to my uhm, opponent, good afternoon. To you good afternoon."

"And uhm, what I can see in this fight is it's gonna be a good fight, because the style of Diaz is very accurate to my style. And I know, he's uhm, he will try his best to win this fight. And I try my best to win this fight too. And it's gonna be a great fight. Because uh, David Diaz uh, he's underdog on our fight on June 28 but I know he's hoping to win this fight. And what I can see is it's gonna be more action than the Marquez fight. And more fight uh, because David Diaz style is very uh, he's a good fighter, who wants to fight to 12, and that's why I want to fight toe to toe with him."

"And I hope the people who love boxing uh, are going to support me, to support us on this good fight this coming June 28 and please watch via Pay Per View. If you (laughs), if you can't come to Mandalay Bay just uh, watch on television on the pay per view."

"And uh, I promise to all my fans, especially the Filipino people that I'll do my best to get this belt, WBC, for the honor of our country. And I need to win this fight because I think I'm the first Filipino or first Asian fighter to get the uh, for the championship belt in different divisions."

"Please watch and thank you to HBO and Top Rank Promotions for giving me this opportunity and to all those who help on my boxing career. To my family and to all the Filipino people thank you and have a good day."

Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz Press Conference Video

Manny Pacquiao trains with Buboy Fernandez at Gerry Peñalosa Gym, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila.

Manny Pacquiao trained at the Mandaluyong Gym on the day that he leaves for his Los Angeles training. He is expected to fight David Diaz on June 28. The David Diaz vs Manny Pacquiao will be held at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas.

Update: Excerpt of Pre-Flight Interview

from Manila Bulletin:

"I will try to improve on my speed when I get to the Wild Card in Los Angeles," Pacquiao said when he worked out at a newly-opened gym owned by Gerry Peñalosa in Mandaluyong prior to his 10 p.m. flight to the US via Philippine Airlines.

Pacquiao said David Diaz "is someone not to be taken for granted because he has power and is determined to keep his title. Speed will play a big role for me in this fight"

...The 29-year-old current WBC super-feather king toyed with training assistant and long-time pal Buboy Fernandez during the punchmitt routine. Drenched in sweat and his arms weary from the heavy pounding from Pacquiao’s solid blows, Fernandez stepped out of the ring to tell Pacquiao that he’s had enough.

"Aren’t you a trainer of a world champion?" Pacquiao shouted at Fernandez as the crowd went wild at the boxer’s antics. "You act as though you are a trainer of a four-round fighter."

"I am not worried about not making the weight limit of 135 lbs or not being able to feel good at this weight class because I feel this would be just perfect for me, but, I don’t want to underestimate Diaz, I am just excited to get back on the ring once again," Pacquiao said.

Manny Pacquiao Elorde Training

Manny Pacquiao is set to leave Philippines this day May 12, 2008 for his Los Angeles training for the upcoming Diaz vs Pacquiao fight.

Meanwhile here's an old video of his training from Abs-Cbn Sports Unlimited hosted by Diane Castillejo. This video was taken in preparation for the Pacquiao-Morales 2nd bout. It shows how hardworking Pacquiao at training.

How Manny Pacquiao Trains Video

SOP, a weekend noontime variety show in the Philippines, wished Manny Pacquiao good luck through a song. Filipina-Mexican Jasmine Villegas, and SOP regular Kyla sang a rendition of Mariah Carey's Hero. Both of the singers stood side by side the seated Manny.

After the song, the SOP hosts wished Manny good voyage for his upcoming trip towards his training for the Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz fight on June 28, 2008.

Jasmine Villegas Sings "Hero" for Manny Pacquiao Video

David Diaz lead Chicago’s Cinco de Mayo Parade on May 5th Sunday afternoon. Thousands lined the parade route along Cermak Rd. in the Little Village Mexican neighborhood. He rode a car bearing the sign "Diaz vs Pacquiao" with the passengers waving a miniature flag of Mexico. "Viva Mexico" was heard in the lips of the onlookers while David and his family traverse the two mile route of the parade in a beautiful spring weather.

About Cinco De Mayo

5th of May (Cinco de Mayo in Spanish language) is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla. It is not an obligatory federal holiday. The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

David Diaz at Chicago Cinco de Mayo Video

Manny Pacquiao started his training this Thursday, April 28, in anticipation for the June 28 David Diaz bout. Manny has hit the boxing bag, with shadow boxing, speedball and sit-ups for conditioning at the Golingan Gym, General Santos City.

Pacquiao will be training for a full week in General Santos, where long-time buddy and Filipino coach Buboy Fernandez is expected to accompany him in the training. He will then leave for Los Angeles on May 10 where he will train at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles for 7 weeks.


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Manny Pacquiao a day after playing a role as Lapu-Lapu at anniversary of the Battle of Mactan in Cebu tried scuba diving last April 29, 2008.

Manny swam 60 feet deep in his first dive for almost an hour at 10 in the morning. After lunch, Pacquiao dive for another 30 minutes. He then ordered two sets of scuba gear afterwards.

Meanwhile, Bob Arum who wanted Pacquiao to arrive earlier than what Manny has scheduled said in a good-humor manner that “scuba diving is not good for anyone, including the fish."

"I enjoy it. We want to go deeper," Manny Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao is scheduled to leave for Los Angeles next week on May 10 after he attends the oath taking of his friend, the new Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff.

photo credit: giovani omega

Manny Pacquiao starred as Philippines hero Lapu-Lapu in a re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan last April 27, 2008 in Cebu, Philippines.

Wearing an ethnic undergarment (bahag) and holding a battle sword, Pacquiao battled it out with actor Dennis Trillo who portrayed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan at the Victory in Mactan (“Kadaugan sa Mactan" in Cebuano dialect) near the Lapu-Lapu shrine. Pacquiao’s wife Jinky played Lapu-Lapu’s wife.

The Victory in Mactan re-enactment is a tourist attraction for many decades now.

About Lapu-Lapu

Lapu-Lapu is regarded by many as the first National hero of the Philippines.

On the morning of April 27, 1521, Lapu-Lapu and the men of Mactan, armed with only spears and shields, faced Ferdinand Magellan and his Spanish soldiers. Magellan is known as the man who first successfully attempted to circumnavigate the Earth.

In what would later be known as the Battle of Mactan, Magellan and several of his men were killed. Few of Magellan men's survived the battle, those who do are the first to successfully circumnavigate the earth. Most of those who returned to their homeland died in war or from disease.


Manny Pacquiao Acting: The First Hero Video

Here's a follow-up to the BoxingScene.com pound for pound quarterly rankings, in which Pacquiao garnered a #1 ranking. The following top 3 data are aggregate from the most famous boxing websites in the world. I've excluded websites which didn't update their rankings.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Manny Pacquiao

Joe Calzaghe

Manny Pacquiao is now tied with Floyd Mayweather for the BoxingScene.com #1 pound for pound quarterly rankings. On the list, Pacquiao will be the sole #1 rank should he win in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz fight. Here's what Cliff Rold has to say:


"I'll be up front and say that I'm among those who had Marquez narrowly edging Pacquiao out, but with two fighters that good and that close, the official verdict must stand. That presents us with a fighter for the ages no matter how you slice it. He's the only fighter in history to win the World title at 112 and 126 lbs.; the only one to win the World titles 112 and 130; and the only one to pull off that hat trick. Throw in an alphabelt at 122 and Pacquiao's blend of scale climbing and pressure fighting is as close to Henry Armstrong as today's fans may ever get.

Now look at who he's been fighting. Barrera and Morales are locks for the Hall of Fame; Marquez is on the bubble in terms of wins but certainly merits strong consideration based on aesthetic evidence. Yes, Barrera may have been past it in the Pacquiao rematch last October, but he was also nip-tuck only months before with Marquez.

Now Pacquiao heads up the scale in pursuit of a potential record fourth legitimate World title; he'll have to beat a solid contender and titlist in Diaz to move that direction and will be favored to do so. Think about it: He started his career at 108 lbs., meaning he's crossed a threshold of eight current and four "classic" weight classes and has improved along the way. Depending on what comes after and if he defeats Diaz, Pacquiao could easily have this spot to himself by the end of the year."

Update: There's an interesting discussion at BoxingScene Forum.

For those who missed the fight, Watch the Entire Pacquiao vs Marquez 2 HBO Fight in less than 10 Minutes: