Manny Pacquiao will serve his vaunted left to Erik Morales, if given the chance. But that may not be the best approach to winning on March 19.
Judging by how he last fought in the US last May, Pacquiao is better advised to batter Morales over a long period rather than seek a quick end.
According to Ramon Lainez, senior member of Team Pacquiao, hammering Morales to a pulp will lead to a win-win situation for the Filipino slugger, regardless if it goes the distance of 12 rounds or shorter.
??Pag hinanap kasi ni Manny ?yung knockout agad, nanggigigil siya,? Lainez said. ?Pero ?pag binugbog [n?ya muna si Morales], eventually naman tutumba din ?yan.?
The importance of pounding Morales, Lainez suggested, is based on two grounds: how Pacquiao could not finish off a well-prepared Juan Manuel Marquez last May despite flooring him thrice in the first round, and the possibility that the Morales-Pacquiao bout goes the full 12 rounds.
?The best way to beat Morales is if Manny follows a game plan similar to how he beat [Marco Antonio] Barrera. If that went 12 rounds, there was no question Manny would?ve won that fight kasi bugbog si Barrera nu?n,? Lainez said.
??Yung kay Marquez, dikit ?yung laban. Tayo namang mga Pilipino, s?yempre dayo tayo doon. Ang mga Amerikano parang kakampi na rin ng mga Mexicans. So when the fight went to the scorecards, ang natural na pinanigan ng mga judges ay si Marquez.
?It?s important that Manny beats up Erik so if this goes 12, the judges won?t have any doubts in their minds.?
That is why the March 19 playdate is perfect for Pacquiao because ?unlike the rush preparation he got himself into against Marquez, now Manny can get into game shape similar to the one he trained into against Barrera.?
?He can execute a methodical beating versus Morales because he will be more conditioned to fight with ample training.?
Asked whether there is a possibility that the Morales-Pacquiao bout heads the full route, Lainez, a boxing analyst for television, doesn?t believe so.
?With the fighters? aggressive styles, somebody?s bound to fall before the 12th round is up.?
Lainez also thinks that it is a fallacy to believe that because Pacquiao beat Barrera and Barrera defeated Morales, Pacquiao should beat Morales.
?These are great fighters. They wouldn?t be where they are now if it was easy to predict how their fights would turn out.?
But it isn?t easy for Morales, turning 29 years old this year, to argue against a common theory that he may be on a leveling off-stage, the early stage of an inevitable twilight.
In his three fights last year, all went to the scorecards. Since February 2001, Morales?s bout reached the 12-round distance seven times in 10 fights.
?He?s been on the top for so long. Maybe it?s that time in a boxer?s career where he?s slowly on a decline.?
Pacquiao?s wife Jinky and son Emmanuel Jr. will join Pacquiao in California on January 20 for two weeks. Rod Nazario, Pacquiao?s business manager, is set to fly to the US on February 13.
