"I'm not going to doubt Pacquiao anymore for sure. I still had my doubts going into the Cotto fight. I was sure Cotto was going to win because he's so strong and his stance, he doesn't move; he's like a bull. I figured, okay, Cotto's going to beat Manny Pacquiao, but the way that Pacquiao beat him was just so easy that it made me realize; it made me sit back and analyze, so I'm not going with Mayweather on this one....I think that Mayweather might see himself behind and try to knock him out towards the end and might end up getting knocked out himself," stated former lightweight champion Juan Diaz as he shared his thoughts on the megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Check out what he had to say about the possibility of the fight coming to Texas, how it will play out, whether or not the fight will even happen and much more.
BT: Let me ask you real quick, what do you think the chances are of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao actually happening on March 13th? Do you think that's pretty much a done deal?
JD: I think they're saying it's a done deal because the fans want to see it and the public demands it, but I don't think it's going to happen in March. I don't know, something in the back of my head is telling me that it's too soon and it's too fast. I believe that it is going to happen, but I doubt it very much if it happens in March.
BT: They sure are taking a long time to decide on the venue.
JD: Exactly! Right!
BT: Yeah, I don't know, even though it seems like it's just a matter of deciding the venue, I still get this funny feeling that there's some issues going on behind the scenes with the money.
JD: You know, besides all the money being made, I think that the promoters, you know, are...I mean, of course they're always looking for who can give them the most money, but for me and for the fans, I think it would be beneficial if they would do it somewhere where like, for example they were saying a stadium in Atlanta or the Cowboys Stadium; I think that by having it there and having 90,000 people there for a boxing event, I mean, that would make a statement and say, "Look! Look! Look at boxing!" Everybody is saying that boxing is dying. I mean, how could it be dying if you get that fight in Cowboys Stadium and have 90,000 people at the event? I think that little kids all over the country are going to be wanting to go to boxing gyms on Monday after the fight and I think that would send a big message to all around the country and the world that boxing is not dead and it's here to stay.
BT: I was going to ask you which would you prefer as a fighter; would you rather go wherever the most money is or would you rather have the opportunity to fight in front of 100,000 fans?
JD: You know, when it comes down to the money, we as boxers are going to get paid a set fee. Pacquiao and Mayweather, whether they're going to make $20-$30 million a piece, I think that's what they're going to get paid. On the other side, I believe that the promoters, they're the ones who are going to be cashing in on the venues. If Vegas puts up more money or Dallas or any other stadium, whoever puts up more money, that's who the promoters are going to get. The promoters already got in mind, "Okay, we're going to pay the fighters $30 million and that's it." So I think, behind the scenes, the promoters and the managers are the ones that get the big bucks with the venues, so I think that, as a fighter, obviously Mayweather and Pacquiao have interest in it, but I don't see how they would get more money from the venue. Most of their winnings are going to come from the pay-per-view sales and people showing up at the event itself.
BT: I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to step out and get ready to fight in front of 100,000 cheering fans.
JD: That would be amazing. That would be history in the making. I mean, if you go to the UK and Germany, a lot of these fighters are drawing 30-40,000 people, but that's over there because we know that those fans over there really love the fighters. It's not like here in the US where you have hundreds of top, famous fighters; they have one or two that they can name their own. I think that by having all of these people in a stadium here in the US, I think that would be historical, even if it was at any stadium here in the US that could hold that many people.
BT: That's true, but then again, somebody close to the situation said to me, "Who cares how many people are watching you in the stadium when you're going to have millions watching you on pay-per-view regardless."
JD: (Laughing) Well, yeah, that makes a lot of sense as well. (Laughing) I mean, you could be fighting in front of 10 people and the other thousands of people that won't be able to make it, you know they're going to be stuck to a TV watching the fight. It does make a lot of sense as well. Just because they're not going to be there live, it doesn't mean people aren't going to watch it. It's probably going to break pay-per-view records anyway.
BT: Where do you think it will end up? Do you think it will be in Vegas or do you think that Dallas has a shot?
JD: At first, I was definitely like, okay, it's going to be in Vegas, but I think that Dallas has a shot. But in the end, I think that, more than likely, I don't think the MGM is going to want to give up on or lose a fight of that magnitude. So, I don't know, Vegas is known for having the big fights so it might just end up there.
BT: Yeah, I just have a funny feeling that MGM definitly wants this fight in Vegas simply for the exposure it will bring and regardless of the price, they'll have no problems paying whatever it takes to get it there.
JD: Because they know they're going to make it up in that whole weekend.
BT: You know, you just fought a slick boxer, a guy who fights with that same type of mentality that Floyd has. You already know what you're going to get with Floyd, so do you think he's going to just shut Manny down and make this a typical Mayweather fight or do you think Manny has a shot?
JD: You know what? I'm not going to doubt Pacquiao anymore for sure. I still had my doubts going into the Cotto fight. I was sure Cotto was going to win because he's so strong and his stance, he doesn't move; he's like a bull. I figured, okay, Cotto's going to beat Manny Pacquiao, but the way that Pacquiao beat him was just so easy that it made me realize; it made me sit back and analyze, so I'm not going with Mayweather on this one. I mean, it's going to be a good fight. It's a good fight. I think that Mayweather has a better chance than Manny Pacquiao, but Pacquiao, he has a chance as well. This is the way I broke it down. Pacquiao, he's so fast with his legs and his hands and Mayweather likes to get on the ropes from the middle of the ring and use his defense. Well, okay, Pacquiao can land 4 or 5 punches; body, arms, face, everything. They might not land. Maybe out of those 4 or 5 punches that he throws, maybe 1 will land. But I think he's going to use that in-and-out movement and the rounds are going to keep going by and he's going to get ahead on the scorecards and I think that Mayweather might see himself behind and try to knock him out towards the end and might end up getting knocked out himself. Because he's not known to be an aggressive fighter, but if he's behind, if he's behind, he's going to do whatever it takes to win that fight and that's when Manny Pacquiao could take advantage of that.
BT: Wow! You kind of threw me off when you said Floyd could get knocked out, but when you break it down like that, yeah, I guess that is a possibility. That's interesting. You're right...he's usually not the aggressor. That's kind of how Chop Chop buzzed him; Floyd was being aggressive, coming right at him and opened himself up.
JD: Yeah, he has to open up. He's not used to being the aggressor. He's not used to coming forward. He's comfortable in his element, being the defensive fighter and counterpunching. But like I said, Pacquiao is gonna throw combination after combination and they're not gonna all get in, but that 1 or 2 punches that do get in could put him ahead on the scorecards in the later rounds. Floyd, I mean, he has a smart corner in his uncle and I'm pretty sure his uncle is going to be telling him straight about what's going on, so if that's the case, Mayweather has the power to knock out Manny, but he better beware because he might get knocked out himself.
BT: Well I don't want to hold you up any longer Juan. Do you have any closing thoughts for the fans?
JD: I want to thank all the fans who supported me in 2009. It wasn't one of my better years. I had 3 fights and lost 2 of them, but overall, my spirits are high, I'm healthy, thank God, and I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I hope that all their dreams and wishes come true in 2010.
CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 OF THIS INTERVIEW WITH JUAN DIAZ
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