Philippine boxing super star Manny Pacquiao seems to always have a smile on his face. For his opponents, he’s always got thunder in his flashing fists.
The southpaw with a devastating left cross, the punch that decimated Marco Antonio Barrera will be ready to be unleashed against Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales of Tijuana, on March 18 at the MGM Grand Garden arena. There will be no title at stake and yet the stakes couldn’t be higher. Each man knows his career reputation will be squarely on the line for this match up of two of boxing’s biggest little men.
For Manny Pacquiao fighting Marquez and Barrera doesn’t mean he already got a primer for knowing how to battle Morales. “Morales is a different fighter, style wise… Marquez and Barrera not the same as Morales… Barrera is a counter puncher, who moves and has good foot work and he uses his uppercuts. Morales is bigger, long reach and he’s good with his left jab and those long right hands.”
Pacquiao, like Barrera before him, comes into a fight against Morales knowing that some of the physical statistics say he’s the smaller guy. But fighting at 130 will not be a problem for Pac Man. “I’m training every day and the same style as the Barrera fight… I’ll be always punching, using a fighter’s style, using my right hand too.”
If speed was a major factor in Pacquiao breaking down Barrera, the same should hold true when he matches up with Morales. And the former featherweight champion believes his body is well suited for jr. middleweight. “I am using fast handed sparring partners in the gym, working with lightweights and some guys over 140 pounds”
In fact Team Pacquiao – ably led in the gym by California trainer Freddie Roach – is as concerned with the strength factor as the element of speed. Thus, the utilization of larger bodied sparring mates over the past month for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao concedes that Morales is a very popular figure in boxing generally and will have a lot of vocal support from the stands during this fight. He also knows he’ll have a vocal segment of the fans at the MGM Grand Garden as well.
“I have a lot of countryman coming to the fight but there are a lot of Mexican fans living in the United States but a lot of my countryman will be watching the fight.”
“All I can tell you is that I will do my best to make the fans happy, but, I cannot predict a knockout in the fight… I think Morales is powerful but I think I have to power (in this fight)… Barrera wants to fight him again and I want to fight Barrera again… I know this fight is going to be a hard fight but I am very confident I will win this fight… he has an advantage in being taller and long reach but I have been fighting bigger guys like Jose Santa Cruz. 135 pounds is my regular weight anyway when I am just walking around and I feel I will have more power than I did at 126… I have been working on movement; I still move like a featherweight and over all I am actually working on more speed.”
