Diaz at ease heading into WBC title fight

He has thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field and has shot pucks on the ice at the United Center.

David Diaz is living every Chicago sports fan's dream. Sometimes, he's having so much fun, one might wonder if Diaz, the WBC lightweight champion, forgets he has the biggest fight of his life coming up Saturday when he meets Manny Pacquiao at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

But if Diaz's memory needs to be jarred, which he says it doesn't, he need only step inside the JABB Gym in Chicago for a reality check. Because he knows if he doesn't enter the ring ready to fight, he probably will be a former champion.

"You have to have fun," Diaz said. "But I'm not letting anything bother me or distract me. I know what I have to do on (Saturday)."

Diaz (34-1-1, 17 knockouts) has been through so much in his life, he figured he would be cheating himself if he didn't take the opportunity to enjoy the moment.

"You can't let the fight consume you," Diaz said. "I can shut it off pretty quick and turn it back on when I have to."

A 1996 Olympian, Diaz wasn't making progress early in his professional career after signing with Top Rank following the Atlanta Games. His mother, Basilisa, was on dialysis, in need of a kidney transplant. And when his brother Francisco died of AIDS in 1997, and with his career still foundering, Diaz quit boxing three years later.

It was then he met his future wife, Tanya Quinones, and she encouraged him to return to boxing. He had to start virtually from scratch, but he made quick progress upon his return to the ring in September 2002. Diaz scored seven straight knockout wins in a 10-month span, and his career was back on track.

He was beaten in 2005 by Kendall Holt, but bounced back and defeated Jose Armando Santa Cruz in August 2006 to win the WBC lightweight title. He then scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Erik Morales in August in his first title defense.

"I never saw myself getting this far," Diaz said. "I started off with the Olympics, and after the Olympics, I thought I had made it just by turning pro because I figured that since I didn't win a medal I wouldn't get any money.

"So when (Top Rank's) Bob (Arum) called, I was shocked. I was like, 'Hey, somebody's interested,' so I thought I had made it just by signing with Top Rank."

Now, he gets to be in a megafight promotion, even though he knows he's not the main attraction.

"I've been through this before," Diaz said of having secondary status. "When I fought Morales, nobody thought I could win. But I feel good and relaxed. That's a good sign."

Diaz was born a half-mile from Wrigley Field and has been a lifelong Cubs fan. Like many of his brethren, he is cautiously optimistic about the team breaking its nearly 100-year drought without a World Series title.

"We're in a good position," he said of the Cubs, who are in first place in the National League's Central Division. "But we'll take it one day at a time."

He's not as cliched when it comes to the NFL's Bears. He's glad the team released troubled running back Cedric Benson, and he wishes the team's quarterback controversy would be settled.

"I like Rex (Grossman), but maybe it's time to give Kyle (Orton) a shot," Diaz said, sounding like a caller to The Score, a Chicago sports-talk radio station.

Diaz hopes the NBA's Bulls bounce back under first-year coach Vinny Del Negro and that the NHL's Blackhawks continue to make progress under coach Denis Savard, who will accompany Diaz to the ring Saturday.

"I'm a huge sports fan, anything Chicago," Diaz said. "I spent a year and a half living in Miami, and I hated it. I missed being away from my teams."

In Chicago, Diaz is enjoying his celebrity status. He recently gave the commencement speech at the grade school he attended, and he was just as excited as the students he talked to.

"I saw two of my teachers from when I attended, including my fifth-grade and seventh-grade teachers," Diaz said. "It was great to go back, and I hope the kids will get inspired. I told them to never give up on their dreams, because the minute you give up is the minute you're defeated."

Diaz has plenty of support for Saturday's fight, even though he is a 4-1 underdog.

"I've met so many people in Chicago telling me, 'You're our last hope,' " Diaz said. "Everywhere I go, people are telling me, 'You can do it. You can beat this guy.' The Mexican people are pulling for me. I even got a few Filipino fans pulling for me."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.