WELL-TRAVELED Thai matchmaker Narong Hengtrakul, who is in town for Saturday night?s Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) minimumweight title match, believes Manny Pacquiao will walk the tightrope when he squares off with Erik Morales on March 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“Manny Pacquiao is a very hard puncher, but I don?t think Erik Morales will go toe-to-toe with Pacquiao and he will use his skills to frustrate Pacquiao,” Hengtrakul told the Bulletin yesterday.
The Thai boxing man is accompanying Somyot Vor Surapol, who faces ex-Philippine fly titlist Edgar Rodrigo in an OPBF fly title eliminator underneath Rodel Mayol?s defense of the minimumweight throne against Indonesian Marti Polli at the Casino Filipino Amphitheater in Para?aque.
“I have seen Erik Morales fight live several times and I admire his skills as a boxer. I think he will have to box Pacquiao from a distance to win,” said Hengtrakul.
“When Pacquiao fought Chatchai Sasakul (from whom the Filipino took the World Boxing Council flyweight title in 1998 in Bangkok), he was way behind on points and he just connected with one punch to end the fight.”
Another fighter who gave the GenSan knockout king trouble was Wethya Sakmuangklang, who was outboxing Pacquiao during their April 2001 duel in North Cotabato when the roof suddenly caved in on the Thai courtesy of a single shot to the jaw by Pacquiao.
“I think that Pacquiao has difficulty fighting boxers who move well,” he added.
Hengtrakul even brought a copy of a Thai boxing magazine that had on its cover Morales and Pacquiao striking a pose during the recent press conference in Beverly Hills, California.
