Pacquiao confident in cutman

When Juan Manuel Marquez was busting open Manny Pacquiao in their March 15 fight at Mandalay Bay, Joe Chavez might have saved Pacquiao from a technical-knockout loss.

Pacquiao had several lacerations around his right eye, and Chavez, working as the cutman in Pacquiao's corner that night, did a great job in stopping the flow of blood.

Pacquiao went on to win a 12-round split decision. But Chavez will not be with Pacquiao on Saturday when he faces Oscar De La Hoya in their 147-pound fight at the MGM Grand Garden. Instead, Chavez will be De La Hoya's cutman.

But Team Pacquiao thinks it has a suitable replacement in Miguel Diaz. The longtime Las Vegas trainer, whose cornerwork these days is strictly as a cutman, is ready for anything that might happen.

"I'm very excited to be part of this fight," Diaz said Thursday. "I worked with De La Hoya many years ago before he became a world champion. I was with him when he fought (Jorge) Paez in 1994, and I have been against Pacquiao when he fought (Jorge) Solis last year in San Antonio. So I know both fighters."

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's lead trainer, has a relationship with Diaz that goes back to the 1980s when Eddie Futch, who was training Roach at the time, allowed Diaz to work with Roach while Futch concentrated on Larry Holmes. Roach said Diaz's experience will prove invaluable come Saturday.

"If Miguel sees something, he'll tell me," Roach said. "Joe's a close friend of mine, and he did a great job with Manny in the Marquez fight. But Miguel is great in his own right.

"I'm very pleased to have him with us for this fight."

Diaz, 70, has lived and worked in Las Vegas since 1972. For years, he operated out of Johnny Tocco's Ringside Gym, working with fighters.

But for Diaz, who has been involved in more than 200 world title fights, this trumps them all, even though no title is on the line Saturday.

"It's huge for our sport," he said. "You have two of the biggest names in boxing going head to head. I'm glad they're letting me be part of it."

Diaz said he thinks the combination of De La Hoya's declining skills and Pacquiao's improved movement, with his head as well as his upper body, will be the difference.

"Pacquiao is a live underdog," Diaz said of the Filipino fighter, who is plus-140 at the MGM Mirage sports books. "If the current De La Hoya shows up, Pacquiao stops him inside of 10 (rounds). If the old De La Hoya, the one who beat up (Fernando) Vargas (in 2002) shows up, then it becomes a very interesting fight.

"But I don't think we'll see that De La Hoya. He's not the fighter he used to be."

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