Round by Round: Juan Diaz vs. Julio Diaz

I don't agree. They are both 5'6" and if anything Manny's probably a little taller. Pacman started off as a diaperweight but he's grown naturally into a bigger fighter and carries the higher weight well.

I'd be putting my money on manny Pacquaio. If you can't hurt Manny, or not a clever boxer, you're not beating him IMO...

 

I'd bet my house on Diaz in that fight.

 

You would see otherwise if they fought. Remember, Diaz actually started at 140 and moved to 135.

 

What good is size "advantage" if you are neither taller or hit harder?

 

I'd also bet my house that Bob Arum ain't letting Manny anywhere near this kid until that fight is worth the max$ and he thinks Manny is about to go anyways.

 

strength is irrelevant? :dunno:

 

Sly: What quality non-featherweight has Manny KO'd?

 

Not irrelevant...overrated. We are also assuming that the fighter that was bigger for teh longer time is stronger.

Zab Judah started his career at 140 and above and Mayweather at 130....when the two finally fought at 147, Mayweather looked to be the bigger stronger guy....:dunno:

 

Unless you have eye issues there is just no way Pacquiao has the same body mass as Diaz. Strength is NOT overrated, look at a guy like Cotto. Strength overrated.....:doh: Not when you have a good pressure fighter who is decent technically and strong as hell with a good chin.

 

I don't see the point of this question. Manny is still moving up in weight. It just hasn't happened yet. Oscar hadn't KO'd any "quality" non Lightweights (with the possible exception of Oba Carr) until he fought Fernando Vargas....

 

Cotto is a bad example to use...because it is Cotto's POWER that's more important than his "strength". Diaz isn't that powerful...which is my point, so basing this all on his supposed "strength" advantage is a little silly, with all due respect.

Manny has a good chin too and has underrated strength.

 

Cotto don't exactly have 1 punch power either. Sure he hits harder than Diaz but him being strong as hell is a big reason he is what he is.

 

:: ::

I honestly believe Juan Diaz is P4P. He is still underrated, excellent use of the stiff fast jab in the later rounds, very good defensively for a pressure fighter, good footwork, and throws the best combinations in boxing. I think he´d beat up Manny and stop him, but Arum ain´t no fool, he didn´t pay the judges in the Morales/Diaz fight for nothing. Nobody would have wanted to see Morales/Pacquiao IV, but David Diaz vs. Manny Pacquiao is a different story.
We´ll just watch Juan Diaz destroy the REAL lightweight champ Joel Casamayor in the meantime.

 

Sly, Manny is no more than about 5'4 as I was in the ring with him in San Antonio after his fight there, Juan is taller but not by a whole lot.
Juan would run Manny right out of the ring, Sly.
Manny would find out what it's like to be the hunted if he ever signs for that particular fight with Juan and he will be given a beatdown the likes he hasn't seen before and stopped.

 

Stinger - if they fight, you'll see that Manny is about an inch taller. If Pacman is 5'4 then Barrera is 5'3 and Hamed is 4'11.

No way is Pacman 5'4. He is 5'7, 5'6.5 at least.

Look at Pacman standing next to Merchant, he looks more or less the same height, Diaz looks shorter.

How tall did Merchant seem when you met him?

 

I think Juan Diaz does what many fighters SHOULD be doing. He fights the way he trains.

I'm tired of seeing guys shadow box throwing ten punch combinations and never doing it in the ring. I'm sick of seeing guys move their gloves in defensive position and block punches perfectly only to never throw a counter worth a damn. I can't stand fighters work on a punch like a hook to the body, or a stiff jab, for weeks on end then never see it whjen the real bell rings.

Juan Diaz did all of that last night, like he has done for every fight, and a few people still wonder why he's having success and would be a favorite over anyone in that division even with limited power? Come on now...

 

Merchant is super short, about 5'4-5'5 maybe.
There is an old formula that you always take 2 inches off a boxers listed height.
Jerry Quarry for instance was alwasy listed at 6 ft, no way he was about 5'10.
Both Manny and Juan are near the same height I guess, but that's not going to be a factor at all if they fight, IMO.
I asked Arum after Manny's fight if he would fight Juan after he beats Freitas and he told me he would love to make that fight, but I agree with Cliff that Arum isn't going to match him with Diaz until he is looking for a cash out with Manny.

 

I'd pick baby bull over pac in a heartbeat, theres a few guys at lightweight and a number of exciting guys at 130 who are young enough to grow into 135 who can keep him busy...he'd get raped at junior welter sooner rather than later however, despite the present dearth of talent there

 

Yeah, I tend to agree with this, although not so brutal ::

He does appear to have a size limitiation, but again, he appears to be fighting exactly the way he should be; he makes 135 and is facing anybody he can. Somehow the guy still has the look of an easy mark for these guys, and I just don't get that logic anymore :dunno: I'd be hard pressed to see the kind of rage he could truly build against someone like Casamayor who would denigrate him the moment he signed the dotted line...

 

Surely Merchant is not that short?

I agree that yes, boxers are generally a couple of inches shorter than they are listed at. Although in Britain, the heights are more accurate. Benn, Watson, Eubank etc are all the heights they are listed as. Pete Eubank is an inch taller than boxrec lists him, at least.

How tall do you think Erik Morales is? Because Erik looks a legit 5'8 maybe 5'9, and manny looked only an inch shorter. I was surprised.

Maybe Manny was tired and slouching, or maybe you were wearing big heeled shoes compared to his boxing boots or something, but I just don't think Manny is that short. Like I said, he is taller than Barrera and only an inch shorter than Morales.

Also I am not sure who I would pick out of Diaz and Pacman. Diaz is for real obviously, but the fact remains - he can't punch. His punches have become solid enough to have a cumulative effect and wear you out, but he just doesn't have that natural snap and concussive power.

A few years ago, when Pacman blitzed Barrera, I would have picked him. But he is not the same fighter now, he has lost the fire. I am not sure.

 

Merchant is that short. In fact, you can draw a perfect diagonal line from top to bottom when Lennox, Bob Papa and Larry Merchant stand in a row.

Juan is a legit 5'6", and Manny probably around the same size. I've never stood next to Manny so I can't gauge, but Juan's listed height appears to be accurate.

Morales is a legit 5'8".

I'd pick Juan over Pacman, though perhaps for different reasons than others suggest. I think 130 is Pac's ceiling, and if he's struggling to make weight, then he's destined to become a man without a country in that regard. I'm still not sure I'd pick Pac over David Diaz at 135.

 

Yeah like Jake who also has met Larry Merchant said, he's that short.
We will see what happens in the division, but I don't think Manny is going to fight the guy anytime soon at all.

 

It's not about height or reach....it's about mass, natural physical strength and weight.

I do think Manny would be at a disadvantage vs. Diaz at 135, though maybe not as much as people think.

That, and the fact that Manny almost always COVERS UP and leaves his upper torso still when being punched at...doesn't fight well going backwards.

Those two factors spell a very difficult fight for Manny.

Peace.

 

@ valdosta - Manny was the same weight at fightnight as Juan was yesterday... if Pac just has to make 135 he would probably weigh more than Juan. They weill weigh the same and Pac won't be as chubby so i don't get where you see a strength advantage since Juan isn't bigger. It's not relevant if you were bigger earlier if u make weight at 135 and go only to 142 then you ain't bigger anymore. Yesterday means nothing.

 

Great post DB, and if I may add to your astute analysis: you can factor in timing as well.
Juan is just too much of a force for Manny and would TKO the guy if he takes the fight.
Karl