Much attention has been placed on Erik Morales’ efforts to make the 130-pound limit for his rubber match tonight (HBO pay-per-view at 9) against Manny Pacquiao. But the former champ will carry a greater burden into the ring at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas: regaining respect.
There was a time, not long ago, when Morales’ name was synonymous with greatness. Any pound-for-pound list that failed to include him among its top five was dismissed for lack of merit.
But Morales, who won the first 41 fights of his career, has fallen on difficult times recently. He has lost three of his past four fights. And though two of the losses came against perennial pound-for-pounders Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, it did not slow Morales’ descent from elite status.
Morales (48-4-0, 34 KOs) struggled to make weight in his most recent fight, a 10th-round TKO loss to Pacquiao in January. In that bout he lacked the strength to keep Pacquiao (42-3-2, 33 KOs) at bay.
His struggles, however, didn’t begin there. He was unable to solve the elusive style of unheralded Zahir Raheem in September 2005. A frustrated Morales looked slow against Raheem. He didn’t land a meaningful punch and lost by unanimous decision.
As a result of those poor performances, few are giving Morales much of a chance tonight. He is in the unfamiliar position of being a huge underdog. Worse yet, a loss could spell the end of his pay-per-view career.
But Morales is undaunted. He’s on target to make weight and confident of pulling off the upset. All he asks is that fans not abandon him, despite reports of his demise.
“Anybody can write or say whatever they want. It’s just words,” said the 30-year-old Morales, who, like Pacquiao, weighed in at 129 pounds last night. “At the same time, it disappoints me. … I just ask them to have confidence in me, don’t attack me.
“I’m going to try to do the best I can. I’m going to try to give everyone a good show. … I’m prepared.”
A large part of that preparation was dedicated to taking the weight off with as little difficulty as possible. And Morales believes he’s accomplished that goal.
“We took a lot of time to get ready for this fight … to make weight,” he said. “I feel real strong, and that’s going to be the key.”
Pacquiao expects Morales to be fully ready for battle. But Morales’ preparedness isn’t enough to lessen the confidence Pacquiao will take into the ring. He’s ready for a tough fight and a victory.
“I am very confident going into this fight, but I know Morales is still a good fighter and he’s been working hard and is prepared,” Pacquiao said. “I will be testing him early and will not stop. The people will love it.”
