After months of hard toil, scathing verbal tussle, guessing game and sleepless nights, judgement day finally beckons as Filipino ring superstar Manny ?The Destroyer? Pacquiao (39-2-2, 30 KOs) goes up against Mexican hero Erik ?El Terible? Morales (47-2, 34 KOs) today in a scheduled 12-round war for the ages topbilling the ?Coming with Everything? card on HBO Pay-Per-View at the 15,000-seater MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. With millions of Filipinos offering prayer for him and watching closely this historic mega-fight set to break boxing box-office records, the entire Philippine nation literally rests on Pacquiao?s shoulders, all longing for him to dish out a resounding triumph over the former three-division world champion from Tijuana, Mexico.
?Many Filipinos are going to watch this fight and I don?t want to let them down. Morales is a very good fighter, but I will do everything I can to beat him and bring honor and glory to my country,? said the 27-year-old Pacquiao, who stands to receive $1.75 million – the biggest ever paycheck for a Filipino sportsman.
Pacquiao, who hit the scales at 129.5 pounds, is itching to drop his ballyhoed secret weapon code-named ?Manila Ice,? which is likened by his American trainer Freddie Roach to a powerful bomb that could pulverize Morales into shreds when the explosive Filipino southpaw unleashes it against Morales.
On the other hand, Morales, who scaled in at exactly 130 pounds, vowed to wage an aggressive and intelligent to combat Pacquiao?s blazing speed and devastating power.
?Pacquiao is a great warrior and I expect a very tough fight. I will box him and discourage his charges,? Morales told Chris Cozzone of the Albuquerque Tribune.
Morales, after conquering three divisions in legendary battles, braces for the toughest and most daunting challenge of his colorful career, while Pacquiao, after annihilating Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, eyes to terminate Morales next, the last man standing of Mexico?s ?Three Muskeeters? in the featherweight division.
A victory by Morales will surely erase the stench of his stinging loss to Barrera and catapult him back to game, while Pacquiao, if victorious, will cement his status as one of the world?s greatest ring gladiators of all time and also make history as the first-ever Asian fighter to win three world titles in different weight divisions as the bout is sanctioned both by the IBA and WBC.
Pacquiao once held the WBC flyweight and IBF super bantamweight crowns.
Boxing pundits believe that weight is a key factor in deciding the outcome of the match, with Morales having an edge being a legitimate super featherweight contender. Morales has already fought three times as a jr. lightweight, while Pacquiao is seeing action for only the first time in that weight category.
Ring experts noted that Morales has proven several times that he is a strong finisher and that Pacquiao in in grave danger if he couldn?t finish off the Mexican early.
?I think Pacquiao will be strong in the early rounds until Erik figures him out. They will trade in the middle rounds, Morales will break him down and should get the TKO win within 10 rounds,? said Rick Reeno of Boxingscene.com.
Some quarters, however, think that Pacquiao?s speed and power are too much for Morales to handle and that they predicted a victory for the General Santos City-native bomber via stoppage.
?My heart is with Eric but I think Pacquiao?s hand-speed maybe the difference in the end because his punches may get there a tad faster. I personally lean toward Pacquiao because his style to me is so much like Barrera when Barrera isn?t trying to box and chooses to all out war. The difference is that Pacquiao seems to be a better puncher and a little faster plus he?s a southpaw,? said Jeff Mayweather of Braggingrightscorner.com.
?The other storyline that no one has the answer to until fight night is how many more wars does Morales have left in him; Morales himself might not even know,? added Mayweather.
