A VICTIM of his own hype. A failed game plan made worse by a nasty cut from an accidental head-butt. A proud and wily opponent who obviously studied the style of his foe in detail. And too many off-the-ring distractions.
These things and more apparently led to the defeat of Manny Pacquiao, who lost a close unanimous decision to the Mexican Erik Morales on Sunday in a fight so many thought the Filipino prizefighter was tipped to win.
The Las Vegas odds makers actually made Pacquiao the slight 6-5 favorite, but by the way the prepublicity to the fight was being built up, there seemed to be no way the pride of General Santos City would lose. The odds had enough basis owing to the outcome of the fights that Pacquiao and Morales had with a common rival: Marco Antonio Barrera.
Boxing fans still remember PacMan?s 11-round demolition of the Mexican ?Baby-Faced Assassin? at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in November 2003. On the other hand, Morales lost a close split decision and his World Boxing Council super featherweight title to Barrera in their explosive third meeting late last year.
The smart money was on the Filipino to prevail despite the solid credentials of ?El Terible.?
One of boxing?s cardinal rules is you don?t telegraph your punches in and outside of the ring?meaning you don?t disclose your strategy to your foe; especially to someone with Morales? caliber.
But that was what Team Pacquiao was virtually doing, often boasting that the proud Mexican from Tijuana would not last the distance. The Filipino boxer?s handlers disclosed his so-called secret weapon. They dubbed it ?Manila Ice,? reputedly a right hook as lethal as Manny?s left punch.
So much for ?Manila Ice,? which wound up like melted vanilla ice cream in the heat of the exchange of the two protagonists. Pacquiao was not able to use it as part of his boxing arsenal.
Manny may rue the day he conducted open workouts. These usually became a circus as his followers thronged the Wild Card gym, owned by his trainer Freddie Roach, in Los Angeles.
Roach himself said that Pacquiao?s vaunted speed and power would be enough to overwhelm the grizzled Mexican veteran. ?We will attack, attack and attack him [Morales] in the first round until he gives up,? he boasted to American sportswriters.
Much fuss was also made about the Filipino fighter winning at the poker table in Las Vegas, an auspicious sign, most said, of his prospective victory.
And the Filipino?s camp may have been lulled into complacency when a haggard-looking Morales checked in at the MGM Grand Hotel late Tuesday after arriving on a delayed flight from Mexico.
In contrast, not one peep was heard from the Morales camp, whose boxer trained like a hermit in the Mexican mountains and only went down when they felt their ward was fit and ready for battle.
They kept their card close to their chests, unveiling it only once their charge entered the ring at the packed open-air arena at the MGM Grand Hotel.
It was obvious from the opening bell, Morales, an experienced warrior of 49 professional fights, had analyzed his rival very well.
Known as a notoriously slow starter, Morales surprised Pacquiao by going after him early in the middle of the first round, which had the Pinoy pug backpedaling and reeling from his barrage.
From thereon, the Mexican dictated the tempo as he gamely fought like the underdog that he was.
Pacquiao irretrievably lost whatever chances of a comeback he had when he suffered that fateful head-butt in the fifth round. It opened a bloody cut on his right eyebrow that left him vulnerable in the remaining rounds.
With blood gushing from the wound, his visibility was hampered, while Morales just kept on jabbing away at the inviting target.
When Pacquiao tried to come in with his combinations, Morales would shrewd?ly either hug him or fend him off by using his longer reach for telling effect.
At the end of the fight that lasted all of its bruising 12 rounds, Pacquiao, bloodied yet unbowed, knew that he was vanquished. He was beaten and outsmarted by a crafty Mexican ring technician who gave him a terrible time inside the ring.
