LOS ANGELES?An unsolicited advice to Erik Morales from former world champion Cornelius “Boza” Edwards: Run.
Edwards, the Ugandan who lost his WBC jr. lightweight crown to Filipino Roland Navarette in 1981 in Viaveggio, Italy, was among those who watched Pacquiao?s training session at the Wild Card Gym here Friday.
Recognized by a veteran Filipino scribe, Edwards allowed himself to be interviewed and in the process gave his insights on the upcoming fight between Morales and Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Easily, he picked Pacquiao as the favorite.
“Manny is very quick. Quicker. And even if he?s the smaller weight, his speed and accuracy is phenomenal. It?s like a lightning. His speed is very confusing because you?ll never know when it hits,” he said.
Edwards, who was knocked out by Navarette in the fifth round of his third title defense, said Pacquiao is very difficult to assess and, more so, even more difficult to handle as shown in his previous fights.
“But don?t forget that Morales is a guy who likes to get into a war,” he said of the Mexican sensation who lost his WBC and WBA super-featherweight (130 lbs) crowns to countryman Marco Antonio Barrera last November.
Does he have any advice for Morales?
“I would tell him to run because Pacquiao is very difficult to figure out. That?s why Barrera had difficulty,” said Edwards, who never regained the title he lost to Navarette, considered the “bad boy” of Philippine boxing.
“I?ve heard stories about him and they?re disturbing. It?s very sad. And it?s a good thing that Pacquiao has come along because you want role models for your country,” he said.
“But I remember him. Rolando Navarette. It was my third defense and it was so funny because we kind of underestimated him not knowing that he can punch. He came in as a last-minute replacement for Edward “Bazooka” Limon.
“He dropped me in the third, but I beat the count. He dropped me in the fourth, and again I beat the count. Then he dropped me in the fifth and I couldn?t get up. I just couldn?t regain my strength. I remember myself down on my knees,” he recalled.
Edwards is now based in Las Vegas, being in the United States for more than 20 years now and promoting fights and training young and promising fighters, one of whom is a Filipina named Elena “Baby Doll” Reid.
Edwards described his prized find as a southpaw, 21 years old and carrying an amazing 16-1 record as a bantamweight (118 lbs).
“She?s very, very good. She?s a very good puncher. And she?s fighting in two weeks,” said Edwards, so full of praises for the Filipina.
“We?ve always wanted to bring her to the Philippines but she said there?s no female boxing there,” he added of Reid, whose mother is Filipina and father is American. Reid studied at the University of Northern Las Vegas.
