While he holds Manny Pacquiao?s lightning speed and devastating power with high sense of respect and admiration, former three-division world title-holder Erik ?El Terible? Morales of Mexico firmly believes that the Filipino ring icon is still vulnerable to attack.
?Manny Pacquiao is a very great fighter. Without doubt this will be a difficult combat,? admitted Morales, who is already in peak form 11 days before his hotly-anticipated collision with Pacquiao.
But Morales affirmed that he is the kind of boxer who counts on a series of defects, from which a fighter becomes vulnerable.
?Manny Pacquiao is a fighter with virtues and defects. I will seek to take advantage of his defects and will come out with the right hand in high,? said Morales, who revealed at the same time that he is going to put up an aggressive and intelligent fight to combat Pacquiao?s power and speed.
?As already told I will be with a rival of fort and fast. I am obliged to control the rhythm of the combat, doing an intelligent fight? If one must box it we will do it, but also we are going to change blows when we have to do it, ? said Morales.
Interestingly, Morales didn?t predict a knockout in a bout of this magnitude for the first time in his career, but the Mexican declared he said he?s ready to slug it out with Pacquiao.
?This fight is very important for my career? All are important, but there is no doubt that this is a lot more. I am going to deliver the heart and I am going to show that still there is Morales for a while,? warned Morales.
Meanwhile, veteran Joe Cortez will be the third man on the ring when Filipino ring icon faces Morales in a collossal match-up of decorated and explosive fighters on March 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The three judges for the mega-fight has also been named including Dave Moretti, Chuch Giampa and Paul Smith ? the same set of judges who officiated in the first Winky Wright-Shane Mosley unification bout, among other celebrated matches.
Cortez, known in the boxing community as ?fair but firm,? will referee for the third time for the 27-year-old Pacquiao, who sky-rocketed into fame when he ruthlessly destroyed Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in 11 rounds two years ago.
Cortez, a Las Vegas-based referee of Puerto Rican descent, worked in Pacquiao?s controversial fight against reigning IBF/WBA featherweight title-holder Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico on May 8, 2004 also at the MGM Grand Hotel.
Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the opening round, but the Mexican champion survived the onslaught and went on to forge a highly questionable split draw over 12 heats.
Cortez also called it when Pacquiao dethroned African Lehlohonolo Ledwaba via a frightening sixth round KO to capture the IBF super bantamweight crown on June 21, 2003. Curiously, it was the first time that the General Santos City-native bomber fought at the MGM Grand.
