PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — Include Cuban defector Juan Casamayor to the list of fighters who want the head of our beloved Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
In an interview with Fightfan.com, Casamayor, the reigning Ring champion now fighting in the United States, talked tough, saying the Filipino ring hero is afraid of him just like the other prominent boxers in the lightweight division that includes the reigning lightweight king, Juan Diaz.
If his name rings a bell to fight fans, it’s because Casamayor is the same boxer who won the bantamweight division while carrying the colors of Cuba in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Yes, he was also the same amazing boxer who beat Filipino Roberto Jalnaiz in a quarterfinal round bout in the Barcelona Olympics on his way to the gold medal, one of the four captured by the mighty Cubans in the sport.
Now this former Olympic champion is trumpheting to the whole world that he wants to mix it up with Pacquiao.
When asked who is the better between Pacquiao and Juan Diaz, and why, the Cuban picked the Filipino icon without batting an eyelash.
Let’s listen to Casamayor.
“I feel he (Pacquiao) is a better fighter than Diaz. A win over Pacquiao would mean more because baby boy Diaz has never won any big fight. He’s never been in with fighters like me and Pacquiao. And believe, I would love to show the world how easy I would stop Pacquiao.”
“But if I’m being honest, I think he’s just as afraid of me as Diaz is. Freddie Roach says I’m washed up and I can’t hurt Manny. They need to recognize I’m the best at 135. Manny, you want to move up? I’d be glad to destroy you and prove Roach wrong.”
“But I have a feeling that just like last year, these guys will all run from me. Hopefully Golden Boy Promotions will get me the marquee fights I’ve been waiting for since I became the champion. Don’t get me wrong, I would also like to show HBO and the world that their ‘baby bull’ is a bust and isn’t half the fighter he or Dong King ain’t no punk, he knows I’ll turn his little Mexican into Ryan Leaf real quick.”
Casamayor did not stop there. He said he was never impressed when Pacquiao decisioned Mexican Juan Marco Barrera in their return bout a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I feel like Barrera just fought to survive and it was a lackluster performance for the Pac-boy. I thought he would run Marco out of the ring. But I do understand it’s hard to fight someone who is trying to survive, and if Marco would have fought a little more, you never know,” Casamayor told Fightfan.com
And this one would definitely get Manny’s goat. When asked about a possible Casamayor-Pacquiao bout, the Cuban said, “I think me and the Pac-boy is a great style matchup and I feel like I would dice him up.”