Diaz Tells Hatton

FORMER World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz, who lost his crown to Manny Pacquiao in June last year after he was knocked out in the ninth round, has told Ricky Hatton, a brawler, not to brawl against the Filipino ring icon when they clash on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Before being knocked out, Diaz, 32, had tried every trick in his arsenal in his bid to beat Pacquiao but he was left battered and bloodied. "Tell him not to do what most of us do," Diaz told Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times. "Tell him to try and make it into a boxing match."

Recalling the fight, Diaz told Dwyre: "The first couple of rounds, I thought I was OK. I figured he’d start to wilt and we’d wear him down. But I realized pretty quickly that I was always trying to catch up. I’d go to the corner, sit down and think, ‘OK, he got that round, but I’ll get the next one.’ And then I’d be on my stool in three minutes, thinking the same thing. "By about the fourth round, I was asking my corner what to do about his speed. I told them I couldn’t get my timing against it. He just was never there to hit. I thought I could take his punches, and the plan was to wade in and bring it to him. But it just didn’t work that way."

The next thing Diaz knew, he was down. "Never saw the punch," he said, "but I guess those are the ones that really get you." Diaz said if Hatton sticks to his brawling style, he’ll be in trouble. While Diaz was cautioning the British star, Pacquiao and his entourage packed their bags and headed for Las Vegas. Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, has spent thousands to rent a behemoth 56-seat bus that’s covered with a blanket screen of Pacquaio’s photos as it embarks on a trip to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Before leaving, Pacquiao told media men: "It’s very important to me to win six. It’s a big honor for my country." Pacquiao, 48-3 with two drawn and 36 knockouts, and Hatton, 45-1 with 32 knockouts, are set to begin the final countdown for their highly anticipated junior welterweight title bout. "Right now I’m ready to fight. My mind is very complete. I’m into the fight," Pacquiao said. Hatton has a size advantage while Pacquiao will count on his superior speed to conquer the Hitman from Manchester, the linear division champion who has never lost at junior welterweight and fights for his own claim on history.