Katulad ni Filipino world bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa, naniniwala rin si super bantamweight sensation AJ “Bazooka” Banal na maaagaw ni Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao ang suot na world lightweight belt ni Mexican-American David Diaz.
Sinabi ni Banal na ang bilis at lakas ng 29-anyos na si Pacquiao ang magiging bentahe ng pambato ng General Santos City laban sa 32-anyos na si Diaz.
“Talagang mabilis at malakas si Kuya Manny, kaya alam kong mananalo siya kay David Diaz,” sabi ng 19-anyos na si Banal, naghahangad rin na maging isang world boxing champion katulad ni Pacquiao na siyang bagong World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight king.
Kumpiyansa rin ang tubong Bukidnon na mapapabagsak ni Pacquiao si Diaz, miyembro ng U.S. Team sa 1996 Olympic Games sa Atlanta, Georgia.
“Alam ko na kayang pabagsakin ni Kuya Manny si Diaz, pero hindi pa rin siya dapat magkumpiyansa kasi malakas rin naman si David Diaz,” ani Banal, nakatakdang sagupain si Rafael Concepcion ng Panama sa Hulyo 26 para sa bakanteng World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight belt sa Cebu City.
Samantala, hinamon naman ni WBA, International Boxing Federation (IBF) at World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight ruler Nate Campbell ang sinumang mananalo kina Pacquiao at Diaz para sa isang unification fight.
“The only other person in history to accomplish that feat was Bernard Hopkins,” ani Campbell kay Hopkins na naghari sa middleweight class ng apat na boxing organizations. “Roy (Jones) never did it. Oscar (Dela Hoya) never did it. Floyd (Mayweather, Jr.) never did it. Nobody except Bernard ever did it. And that’s not to say we would be better than those guys, or anything like that, but we do have the opportunity to do something that they never did.”
Nakatakdang idepensa ng 36-anyos na si Campbell ang kanyang WBA, IBF at WBO lightweight titles kay challenger Joan Guzman ng Dominican Republic sa Setyembre 13. (RCadayona)