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Philippines, 27 May 2026 |
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IS ERIK MORALES MORE “SHOT” THAN THOUGHT?<br>“THE PINOY” ON THE PHILIPPINE BOXING SCENE By Jason Aniel PhilBoxing.com Mon, 19 Dec 2005 Millbrae, Ca- With a little over a month left before the first big fight of 2006, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao will meet in what is essentially a do or die situation for both fighters. The pride of Tijuana, Mexico, Erik Morales, is once again an underdog against a man he beat, unanimously, just ten months ago. This was due to an unimpressive showing against a slick boxer, Zahir Raheem, in which Morales dropped a unanimous decision in a one-sided affair. MORALES USED TO WIN ON “BAD” NIGHTS! Morales has been criticized in the past for fighting at the level of his opposition. Fights against Guty Espadas, In Jin Chi, and the first half of his third fight with Marco Antonio Barrera, where Morales was the considerable favorite, he ended up struggling. However, other than the close loss to Barrera in the third fight, he won those fights, even when he clearly wasn’t at his best. Against Raheem, the unmotivated Morales couldn’t, or wouldn’t, make the extra effort to pull a win out of the bag while performing so poorly. ERIK’S HAD MORE THAN HIS SHARE OF WARS This may suggest that the battle-tested warrior is on the downslide of a fabulous career. What his team viewed as an off night against a difficult fighter, could be the first sign that Morales, who often wins fights with sheer guts and heart, is there for the taking. However, these exact sentiments were made before the Paulie Ayala and the first Pacquiao fights. Both times, Morales performed admirably. Erik has won fights after coming off huge setbacks before, but can he do it after being “owned” by Raheem? PACQUIAO WANTS TO LEAVE NO EXCUSSES Manny Pacquiao, the heart and soul of Filipinos around the world, came off a relatively easy win over Hector Velasquez, clearly a level below Zahir Raheem. Much of the aftermath of his loss against Erik Morales in March involved a bitter split between himself and his ex-promoter Murad Muhammad. A lawsuit followed, which resulted in a brand new team that surrounds Pacquiao. They assured the public there will be no distractions. MANNY MORE THAN “JUST AN ATHLETE” IN ASIA Pacquiao is not only the Philippines’ best boxer, but also an icon-like celebrity in the country, as he is one of the most media covered athletes in Asia. In a revenge bout against Morales, a loss will not hurt Pacquiao’s career, but could halt a strong movement of boxing popularity in the Philippines. The other big money fighter at super featherweight, Marco Antonio Barrera, says he has no problems facing Pacquiao in a rematch. Pacquiao has also never been tested as a fighter who can hold a card on his own. Unlike Barrera and Morales, it is still unknown if Pacquiao can sell out an arena fighting lesser foes. Another loss to Morales may end any chance for Pacquiao to be a real superstar in the sport. ESPINOSA CONTINUES ATTEMPT TO BATTLE Former two-time world champion Luisito Espinosa, 38 years old, continues to pursue another comeback as he trains in Northern California. Sources closes to Espinosa continue to insist that “King Louie” is not washed up, and that he is in the best shape of his now 21 year career. They claim that the hand and foot speed are back to the days when he was WBA bantamweight champion. WILL LOUIE BE “RETIRED” BY CALIFORNIA COMMISSION? The still suspended fighter will have a chance to have his license renewed by the California Athletic Commission in a Monday hearing. They can give him his license back, or permanently retire him. Looking at the situation up close, while Espinosa has always been a physically gifted fighter, the way he takes a punch is a perilous problem. In his last fight, Louie was knocked out, and laid unconscious on the canvas for a good period of time. WILL ANYONE GOOD FIGHT GERRY PENALOSA? Although not in his prime, Gerry Penalosa continues to dominate his competition, pitching a shutout in a recent fight in the Philippines. Penalosa, 49-5-2 (33 KO’s), has the power of a Manny Pacquiao, with the skill and experience of a Luisito Espinosa. This fighter truly is the total package, and even at 33 can compete with the best at bantamweight, which includes the IBF champion Rafael Marquez. However, he is still an unknown quantity in the United States. He is an aging fighter who may not last very long. Placing him on the undercard of a Manny Pacquiao fight would help boost exposure for the former WBC super flyweight champion, but the availability of top ten contenders is hard to find for Penalosa. If he does get his wish, and fights Marquez, you may be looking at a two-division world champion. MAYOL AWARE OF HIS ENTERING THE SNAKE PIT Top minimum weight ranked Filipino contender Rodel Mayol, 21-0 (16 KO’s), faces Lorenzo Trejo, winner of his last eight, in a title eliminator on January 28, 2006. The intrigue in this match-up is that the 24-year-old Filipino will enter the snake pit in Mexico. To my memory, the last Filipino fighter to win in Mexico was Luisito Espinosa, defeating Alejandro Gonzales back in 1996. SHOWCASE FIGHT FOR “BOOM-BOOM” Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista, 18-0 (14 KO’s), should certainly get victory number 19, as he’ll face journeyman, Gerardo Espinoza, 28-9 (26 KO’s), a loser in six of his last eight bouts, in El Cajon, Ca. “SUPER V” BRIAN VILORIA SET FOR FIRST DEFENSE WBC light fly guy Brian Viloria, 18-0 (12 KO’s), will be part of a Top Rank PPV undercard February 18th against former world champion Jose Antonio Aguirre, 33-4-1 (20 KO’s). Aguirre had the WBA champ Ricardo Vasquez on the deck in his last outing, but a nasty cut stopped the fight early on. That being fact, I expect a tough, but dominant win from the Fil-Am star. In closing, I’m mystified as to why this fight was not on the undercard of Morales-Pacquiao II. THE “ROACH” FACTOR AT WORK It’ll definitely give trainer Freddie Roach his full focus on Pacquiao, but deny the capacity crowd at Las Vegas an appetizing Filipino vs. Mexican bout. JACA ON UNDERCARD…Just 22 years old, Jimrex Jaca, 24-1-1 (11 KO’s), will be featured on the Morales-Pacquiao undercard. The super featherweight from Negros Oriental in the Philippines will face Mexican Ivan Valle, 23-5-1 (19 KO’s). This could be an interesting bout, which will gauge how well the youngster will perform against better opposition. He does hold a first round knockout victory of Bobby “The Drama Setter” Pacquiao, 26-11-3 (11 KO’s), and is scheduled to be on the undercard of the third Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo. His opponent has not been named yet, but Carlos Hernandez is a likely choice. Jason “The Pinoy” Aniel Note: The writer is featured exclusively at www.RingTalk.com Comments pertaining to this article can be left below. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Jason Aniel.  |
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