They are icons in their respective countries, two might-mites who share a passion for delivering punches at a frenetic pace.
Erik “El Terrible” Morales is a hero in Mexico, longing to be revered as the best fighter in his country despite the lingering stains of a blood war rivalry with Marco Antonio Barrera.
Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao is adored in the Philippines and in the Phillipino pockets of Los Angeles, where on a recent Sunday morning, he received special blessings from the parish priest at the Christ the King Church.
Boxing fans will equate the Morales-Pacquiao fight Saturday night in Las Vegas as a religious epiphany of sorts. In a super-featherweight fight (130 pounds) that is more about money and prestige than titles, the two men are set for an anticipated 12-rounds of mayhem.
Each searches for a Holy Grail, anointing them as one of the best fighters of this generation.
Morales, having conquered three weight divisions, is 47-2 with 34 knockouts. Pacquiao (39-2-2, 30 knockouts) is a two-time world champion who humbly embraces the passion of a nation that idolizes him. Imagine the thing America has for Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan.
When Pacquiao turned 26 on Dec. 17, the mayor in his hometown of General Santos City reportedly had to scale the wall of his home to escape the onrush of thousands of invited guests.
In Los Angeles where Pacquiao is training, his handlers had to limit public workouts to Saturdays because the other merchants in the shopping center were complaining that all the parking spaces were taken by Pacquiao fans, leaving customers with nowhere to park.
“My countrymen are praying for me,” Pacquiao told Filipino television reporters after a recent workout.
Mexico’s love affair with Morales is a little more complicated. Julio Cesar Chavez sets the gold standard in the country, despite the emergence of Oscar De La Hoya (not authentic enough), followed by Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Morales has lost two of three epic battles with Barrera, the last one a major decision in November of 2004.
So with Mexican supremacy still murky, Morales turns to Pacquiao seeking redemption. Pacquiao is a 6-5 favorite.
“I wanted this fight,”‘ Morales said recently. “I needed something big to come back with. I wanted to show the people what I’m still capable of. Sometimes you just have one of those nights. Against Barrera my body just didn’t respond like I wanted. I don’t know why. I don’t want it to happen again. It will not happen again. I don’t know if there will be a Morales-Barrera IV but there will be a Morales-Pacquiao I and it will be as enjoyable as anything you’ll see.”
Promoters have sold TV rights to the Asian-Latin matchup in 75 countries. Ticket sales are approaching 12,000 and the MGM-Grand Arena has been scaled for 14,500 in anticipation of a sellout crowd with a heavyweight buzz.
Despite passionate interest in boxing’s inner circle, Morales-Pacquiao will find it difficult to capture the attention of mainstream America. Consumed by the ravages of Mach Madness, and filling out lineup cards during spring training games, sporting fans have obvious distractions that will keep them away from ringside Saturday night.
Too bad.
At its essence, boxing is a sport that reveals whether a man has courage under fire, or will wince like a coward in times of distress. You can’t blame teammates, coaches or the referees for your failures. It’s Survivor, the ultimate reality television.
For each man Saturday night, it is the only way the know how to do business.
