In their first meeting to date, Filipino Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Erik Morales did not disappoint as they drew the biggest media turnout Top Rank has ever had in Los Angeles during the press conference yesterday to officially announce their March 19 showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, wearing a rosary hung around his neck over a white-and-blue sweatshirt and his ultra-expensive wristwatch, lived up to Filipino expectations of not playing coy and second fiddle against the vastly-popular Morales, saying, “I’m going to give you a real good fight.”
Morales, dapper in black jacket worn over a white polo shirt, also declared, “I had three great fights last year. It didn’t finialize the way I had hoped it to, but I’m very satisfied with my performances. I didn’t want to take anyone easy coming back. I think this will be a great, explosive fight.”
As usual, Pacquiao’s bombastic promoter Murad Muhammad reportedly heated things up a bit under wintry conditions in Los Angeles when he stated that Pacquiao annihilated a legend in Barrera, sent down Marquez three times and now “he’s going after the top Mexican.”
Promoter Bob Arum later told Fightnews, “This smells like it’s going to do tremendous business because Morales Barrera did big, but it was two Mexicans. I think a Filipino and a Mexican brings another element to it, because it energizes over two million Filipinos in Southern California.”
Tickets for the bout are priced from $75 to $400 and seats go on sale Friday at noon. Only the main event was announced during the presscon held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Meanwhile, in a virtual rout, reigning Ring Magazine featherweight king Manny Pacquiao has been hailed by the Games and Amusements Board as the country’s 2004 Boxer of the Year following his successful campaign for the year 2004.
GAB Boxing Division chief Emmanuel “Noli” Flores, in an interview with this writer, informed that Pacquiao won hands down, thus clinching his third GAB Award.
Newly-installed GAB chairman Eric Buhain, together with Commissioners Angel Bautista and Alex Paglumutan, is expected to award Pacquiao with the official citation probably soon after the Filipino ring icon comes back from his scheduled showdown with Mexican legend Erik Morales.
