Bontoc's 'diamond' boxer trains Diaz vs Pacquiao

CHICAGO — As he prepares for his biggest fight against the Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao on June 28, lightweight champion David Diaz spars with a Filipino-American southpaw. Diaz has enlisted the help of Diamond Gut-oman Baier, a 31-year-old native of Bontoc, Mountain Province, as one of his three sparring partners, all lefties. Diamond, as he is popularly known in Chicago’s boxing community, is an amateur boxer and trains with the Chicago Boxing Club. He is also an entrepreneur and long-time resident of the Chicago’s South Side. At the age of 10, Diamond moved to Chicago after he was adopted by his aunt. He took his last name Baier, from his German-American uncle. "I hope he doesn’t get in trouble," Diaz jokingly quipped after revealing Diamond’s name. "We didn’t just get him because he’s Filipino. We got him because his style is similar to Manny’s. He is fast, he’s pretty strong and he’s from around the area," Diaz added. As Diaz held court with the Chicago media on June 19, Diamond kept a low profile staying at the back of the Jabb Boxing Gym, where the press conference took place. In an exclusive interview, Diamond said that he has been boxing for six years. In 2004, he met David through his coach, who encouraged him to watch the Olympian shadow-box. "I learned a lot from David. It’s a small world, years later, here I am helping him out for his championship fight," Diamond said in a soft-spoken voice that belies his hard-hitting punches. 'Great Fight' "This is going to be a great fight," Diamond predicted of the match between the two boxing champions, Diaz and Pacquiao. "For all the boxing fans out there, I hope they’ll get a chance to see it." He also offered some analysis about the sports, particularly on the advantages of lefty boxers like him, saying that "they are just awkward to fight." "Most people who are right-handed usually fight right-handed fighters. So, when you fight someone who is left-handed, you’re thrown-off just because of all the angles," he explained. What makes the fight between Diaz and Pacquiao interesting is that both are lefties, Diamond pointed out. "This will be a great fight. I can’t wait to see it." Proud Bontoc boxer While Diamond was not picked by virtue of his birth as a Filipino, he said he is proud of his Mountain Province ancestry. “I’m always gonna be Filipino. Absolutely," Diamond said adding that he still loves to eat adobo, pancit and lumpia. Last year, he returned to the Philippines to attend the funeral of his mother, and will visit anew in September. Diaz’s two other sparring partners are Oscar Leon of Colombia and Ivan Popcea of Mexico. He is being trained by Bob Arum and promoted by Top Rank. In Los Angeles, Pacquiao hasn’t climbed the ring yet to try to eliminate his 11th Mexican foe on his way to a history-setting 4th world boxing title for an Asian, yet people are already harping over his next superfight. Many downplay Pacquiao’s so-called “Lethal Combination" match with WBC lightweight titleholder David Diaz in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay this Saturday as simply a preview of a more celebrated, hence more lucrative, battle with a legitimate superstar. Among the names that have circulated lately as the Pacman’s most possible next opponent are super welterweight Oscar “Golden Boy" Dela Hoya, a Mexican-American former world champ in six different weight classes; Englishman Ricky Hatton, holder of the IBF/IBO light welterweight crown; and American Nathaniel Campbell, WBC/WBO/IBF lightweight king. “That fight has not happened yet so I think, we will discuss or talk about that after the (Diaz) fight," Pacquiao responded when asked about a possible bout with any of the three top-draws. “No, I don’t know. I’m just a fighter. I’m just a fighter who fights in a ring." A lot of buzz has been circulating within professional boxing circles lately in regards Pacquiao’s better status in the light of the retirement of undefeated welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Pacman has emerged as today’s undisputed number one pound for pound boxer.While Pacquiao meekly brushes off intrigue or controversy by way of his humble and withdrawn responses to media queries, Diaz is the exact opposite. The Chicago-born Mexican native laps up at whatever reporters shoot at him, pushing his “poor man story" to the hilt. “I am champ now—but I just don’t have the money yet. So, that’s still missing. I’ve got a ’91 Honda that I’m still driving with no AC, so hopefully after this fight, after this victory we’ll be able to afford something better," he said. “But, it’s more of a pride thing for me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would become world champion and with the most prestigious belt of all, the WBC title." Diaz, a 4-1 underdog, will receive no more than $800,000 to fight Pacquiao, who gets a minimum of $3 million. The biggest winner here, however, is promotions giant Top Rank and HBO’s pay-per-view, which already amassed more than $20 million in cable profit in the Pacquiao-Marquez fight last March. While in Chicago and the Bay Area two weeks ago, Pacquiao hanged out with Cox Communications employees in San Diego, while Diaz threw the first ball at a Chicago White Sox game. Last week, Pacquiao signed autographs and made souvenir photos with his kababayans in Filipinotown here. Four days to the fight, the boxers were at Santa Monica Pier for another press conference before they head to Las Vegas. Arum seems to be selling the fight pretty well, similar to a Rocky episode: Cinderella-style melodrama, populist fervor, and then the climactic jog to the ring. Bill Conti’s soundtrack is the only piece that’s missing. Bob Arum declares, “These boxers are not dancers, they don’t dance under the stars. They’re going to fight for 12 rounds or however shorter it goes, but they’re going to give it all, and they’re going to leave everything in the right, and it’s what boxing is all about." Arum is no Hall of Famer for nothing. From Roberto Duran to Mike Tyson to Manny Pacquiao—he certainly knows how to provoke fire in the eyes of the tiger. The hungrier the fighters are, the better the gladiators will look inside the arena. In Chicago, Diaz expressed confidence in his fighting chance although he weighs 137 lbs., or two pounds above the lightweight division, which is the title at stake. “Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, it’s all coming together," he said. “What we need is conditioning, so we need to work on that conditioning until the couple of days before the fight. And then from there, see what happens." As to his psychological readiness, the Chicago-born pugilist said that “he doesn’t think about it too much." “I just go with the flow and see where it takes me. If the day of the fight, I have to do something, then I’ll do it. Other than that, just go forward man." - Philippine News