Los Angeles, California–
One of the most eagerly anticipated fights of 2005 is just around the corner when Manny Pacquiao squares off with Erik Morales on March 19 at the MGM Grand, in a 12-round super featherweight showdown broadcast by HBO Pay-Per-View.
——————————————————————————– Former WBC 122, 126 & 130 pound champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales (47-2, 34 KO’s) Tijuana, Mexico. 28-years-old, 5’8″ 130-pounds. Trainer and manager of record Jose Morales. Style: Morales is the complete boxer/puncher. He can stick, move; work behind his jab and score with rapier-like combinations. Or, he can flat out bang. However, at this point in his career and against a slugger like Pacquiao, chances are he will box more and bang less until the opportunity presents itself to pull the trigger. Only three of his last ten fights haven’t gone the distance and that goes back to 2001, when he scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Guty Espadas Jr.
Significant Bouts: Morales is coming off a very disappointing and controversial defeat to his nemesis Marco Antonio Barrera last November 27, in Las Vegas. The fight was the third in their series with Morales winning the first encounter and Barrera capturing the last two. When the final bell sounded for the third and final time, both men continued throwing punches but the challenger Barrera had pounded out an electrifying twelve-round majority decision over Morales to capture his WBC super featherweight title. Barrera jumped on the champion early and rocked Morales a number of times over the first six rounds, with savage left hooks and whistling uppercuts. Morales finally found the range and rediscovered his rhythm with searing right crosses that tattooed the challenger’s skull in the seventh and eighth. Barrera rallied again in the ninth round and he jolted the champion with hammering left hooks that seemingly insured his second victory in this classic three-part war. However, the last two rounds were fought on guts and guile, as both men hammered away with sickening accuracy and relentless venom. The crowd at the MGM Grand spent much of the 12th, on their feet, as neither man eased up while they continued to pummel each other with wicked right hands, more lethal left hooks and screaming uppercuts. When it was over Barrera looked exhausted and Morales was bleeding from a broken nose and a badly swollen right eye that was nearly closed. Morales first gained a national audience and the WBC super bantamweight crown by scoring an 11th round KO over Daniel Zaragoza back in September 1997. Morales continued planting opponents and in September 1998, he retained his WBC 122-pound belt by scoring a 4th round TKO over former world champion Junior Jones. In May 1999, Morales registered a 9th round TKO over Juan Carlos Ramirez, five months later he scored a 12 round unanimous decision over Wayne McCullough. Morales went on to score a controversial 12 rd. split decision over Barrera in his first fight back with Marcos Antonio in February 2000. Morales captured the interim WBC featherweight belt by scoring a 7th rd. TKO over Kevin Kelley in September 2000. Morales secured the belt with a 12 rd. UD win over the reigning champ Guty Espadas, in February 2001. Morales suffered the first loss of his career when he was outpointed by Barrera, in June 2002. Morales got back on the winning track and posted wins over Paulie Ayala (UD 12), Eddie Croft (TKO 3), Fernando Velardez (TKO 5), another victory over Guty Espadas (KO 3), Jesus Chavez (UD 12) and Carlos Alberto Hernandez (UD 12) before the loss to Barrera last November.
Strength: Morales’ style and strength and changed somewhat over the years since he first turned pro back in 1993. However, his greatest attribute remains his resolve and his courage. He will fight and battle with you all the way to the final bell. In the 3rd and last Barrera encounter, Marcos Antonio dominated the first six rounds but Morales rallied to make it a close fight. His best shot is now his right hand and facing the southpaw Pacquiao you can look for him to fire it all night long. His jab at times can be best described as workman-like, but he still has a nasty left hook, and an excellent right hand, which he can fire straight and also nail you with over the top. If he gets in close, look for Morales to throw searing uppercuts with either hand. He will use Pacquiao’s entire body as a target and he isn’t shy about digging into your ribs with either hand. Finally, when Morales establishes his rhythm, he can effortlessly shift his attack down stairs or upstairs depending on the situation. Morales was raised above a gym as a kid growing up in Tijuana and he isn’t short on little tricks to upset his opponent. Morales is a bigger and taller fighter than his opponent and it is Pacquiao who is stepping up in weight to 130.
Weakness: Morales is a slow starter and a rhythm fighter. Do that against a guy who throws bombs from the opening bell and you are inviting disaster. Using his last fight against Barrera as a measuring stick, Morales is posing more and throwing less leather. He labored to find his tempo in his last fight and he was rocked early by uppercuts in close quarters. While he did rally to make it a close bout, Barrera simply hit Morales far too often. By the end of his last fight, Morales’ nose was broken and his left eye was reduced to ground chuck. Now he is poised to step into the ring with someone who hits even harder with even greater accuracy.
——————————————————————————– Former IBF & WBO super bantamweight champion Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (39-2-2, 31 KO’s), General Santos City, Philippines. 26-year-old 5’6″ southpaw, 130 pounds. Trainer Freddie Roach, managed by Shelly Finkel. Style: Pound for pound Pacquiao just might be the hardest hitter in the sport. He is a banger/slugger but what sets him apart is his hand speed and his accuracy. He throws wicked three, four and five punch combinations that simply detonate on impact. Because he is a southpaw his shots are coming at you from different angles and unlike most lefthanders he isn’t cute or stylish. He will come right at you firing whistling hooks and staggering left crosses from the opening bell.
Significant Bouts: Pacquiao scored a four round TKO victory over Fahsan (3K Battery) Por Thawatchai, last December in the Philippines. The bout was an IBF featherweight eliminator for the #2 ranking; 3K-Battery hit the deck four times before the fight was stopped. Prior to that fight in May 2004, Pacquiao was involved in one of the most dramatic bouts of the year. Climbing off the deck to go the distance after being dropping three times in the first round is extraordinary. Somehow being able to salvage a draw after suffering a broken nose and swallowing enough blood to drop an ox borders on the miraculous. Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez retained his WBA and IBF featherweight belts because of guts, will; and judging from the scorecards, perhaps divine intervention in earning a 12-round draw against Pacquiao. The Philippine southpaw sensation landed repeatedly in the first round with withering straight left hands to the chin. The hard hitting challenger floored Marquez three times in the opening stanza, busting him up in the process and breaking his nose while reducing the bottom one-third of his face to ground round. Nevertheless, Marquez rallied over the course of the fight to somehow come up with a majority draw. In November 2003, Pacquiao recorded the biggest win of his career when he scored an 11th round TKO over Marcos Antonio Barrera. It was a brutal night for the fighter nicknamed the “Baby Faced Assassin.” Barrera was overwhelmed and knocked down twice before eventually being halted by Pacquiao in eleven mostly one-sided rounds. One of the most feared featherweights of his generation, Barrera spent most of the evening eating leather before his cornerman Jorge Barrera climbed into the ring and mercifully ended the beating, in the non-title fight. The southpaw IBF junior featherweight king Pacquiao kept Barrera on the business end of his shots from the second round on and repeatedly scored with wicked combinations. In that memorable fight, Pacquiao was down in 1st, Barrera down in 3rd and 11th. Pacquiao first captured the WBC flyweight crown when he scored an 8th rd. TKO over Chatchai Sasakul, in 1998. Constantly battling to make weight, Pacquiao defend the belt once before he was KO’d in three rounds by Medgoen Singsurat, ten months after winning the WBC crown. In June 2001, Pacquiao won the IBF super bantamweight crown by scoring a six-round TKO over Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao would go on to register a number of impressive victories; including Jorge Eliecer Julio (TKO 2), Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym (KO 1), and Emmanuel Lucero (TKO 3).
Strength: Pacquiao is the complete athlete if you are looking for an action fighter. He throws devastating shots with both hands and he delivers the goods with withering accuracy. Pacquiao’s best punch may be his jackhammer left cross; that’s the shot that both Barrera and Marquez didn’t have an answer for when they squared off with the Filipino star. Pacquiao is at his best when he is moving and throwing wicked combinations. He excels at firing and landing a hard left to the body followed by a whistling right hook to the chin. Pacquiao can put you on the deck with either hand, or grind you down with combinations.
Weakness: Pacquiao gets hit and part of his allure just like Arturo Gatti, is that he is constantly in high action bouts. He has been on the deck several times over the course of his career and in the past he has been vulnerable to counter right hands. When he controls the tempo of the fight Pacquiao can dictate pace and the punch output. However, as in the Marquez fight, when the action slows down and his opponent starts landing his jab Pacquiao struggles. When he faces Morales, the Mexican has an advantage in height and reach and that could effect the outcome.
Prediction: The conventional wisdom has this fight coming out one of two ways, either Morales by 12 round decision or Pacquiao by knockout. That said, Pacquiao has been sensational in training. He made weight early and Freddie Roach has the Filipino star in razor-sharp condition. If Morales starts slow we look for Pacquiao to jump on him early and to continue to land blazing left crosses down the middle. We believe that the southpaw’s punch output and style is going to catch up with the future Hall of Famer Morales. We are picking Pacquiao by eighth round knockout.
