Vol. 4, No. 6, June 2008
RSS Feeds
Pac-Man fever
Vegas loves the Pac Man. Not the football player who shot up Minx in 2007, the Philippine superstar Manny Pacquiao who comes to Mandalay Bay June 28 to fight David Diaz of Chicago for his seventh Vegas showcase since 2004. Pacquiao, who captured a difficult decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in his last bout, is one of the sport’s top performers.
Pacquiao has been involved in some of Las Vegas’ most memorable slugfests in recent years. His Nevada era begin in May 2004 with a pulsating 12-round draw against Marquez. Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the opening round before absorbing a ferocious comeback in boxing’s Fight of the Year. Pacquiao, now 46-3-2 with 35 knockouts, also owns two scintillating victories over Mexican hero Marco Antonio Barrera.
Pacquiao is a phenomenon back home. His picture is on currency and he recently ran for political office (but lost).
Diaz, 34-1 with 17 knockouts, justifiably calls this the fight of his life. The Chicago native was a 1996 U.S. Olympian and, like Pacquiao, has beaten Erik Morales. He is the more natural lightweight and faces an opponent coming up in weight. Diaz holds the WBC lightweight title.
