ERIK MORALES is facing a different Manny Pacquiao in more ways than one when they collide in a rematch billed as ?The Battle? on January 21 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For one, Pacquiao himself says he is training with fewer distractions than in his first encounter with Morales last March 19, making him more focused in the return bout that will have the winner becoming the top contender to reigning world super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera.
?[I have] none of the distractions from the last fight over rooms, tickets and gloves. I can train in peace knowing my team is looking out for me,? said the Filipino icon, referring to his new handlers?co-managers Shelley Finkel, Keith Davidson and Nick Khan, promoter Gary Shaw and trainer Freddie Roach.
The pride of General Santos City also told a group of US-based sportswriters during a recent conference call that he is happy to be using the Reyes brand of boxing gloves in the rematch, rather than the Winning brand Morales preferred?and both fighters had to use in line with their fight contract?in their first collision.
?It was a distraction and it was my first time using Winning,? Pacquiao said in answering whether the issue was more of a physical thing?of not having the mitts he wanted?or if it bothered him from a mental point of view.
?[Manny was affected] a little bit mentally and you know the thing is that the Winning gloves, they are like pillows,? Roach said.
?They are not puncher?s gloves, so they definitely have some effect on the punching power. And you know I think we will be much more comfortable going in to the fight with the gloves we choose and you know it will be one less distraction,? he added, noting that Morales was also practicing in Reyes gloves at his training camp.
With those concerns out of the way, Roach confidently said he wouldn?t be surprised if Pacquiao handed Morales the first knockout loss of his career, considering both men were ?game? and love fighting toe-to-toe and if his ward follows their game plan.
But the Filipino, dubbed as ?PacMan?? or ?The Des?troyer,? was not as certain as his trainer, saying: ?I will try. I will try that. But I am not going to promise.?
Before he faced the Mexican icon last year, Pacquiao was swamped with disturbances, not the least being his widening rift with erstwhile promoter Murad Muhammad and longtime manager Rod Nazario over money matters.
On the eve of his fight with ?El Terrible? at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, he even had to personally secure hotel rooms and tickets to the fight for his entourage, leaving him wanting mentally in battling the former three-time world champion Morales.
Pacquiao, who lost a close unanimous decision to the Mexican, eventually sued Muham-mad to end his promotional contract with the American and cut ties with Nazario, who had guided his career early on.
This time, the 27-year-old left-hander is a 7-5 betting favorite over Morales, 29, who is coming off a stunning loss to former US Olympian Zahir Raheem on the September 10 fight card he and Pacquiao headlined at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao and his entourage are driving to Las Vegas from Los Angeles on January 16. They will meet a large Filipino contingent led by the President?s husband, lawyer Mike Arroyo, who will arrive in Sin City on the eve of the scheduled 12-round fight at 130 pounds that will be shown on HBO pay-per-view.
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