LAS VEGAS–Erik Morales commandeers Manny Pacquiao?s secret weapon and makes it his very own. “El Terrible’s” right hook was just one of several punches that overpowered the tough southpaw Manny Pacquiao, Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand Arena.
The Tijuana native’s two-dimensional style Saturday night was very strategic. But it wasn’t Morales’ southpaw switch (in the last 10 seconds of every round) that overthrew the former People’s champ, Manny Pacquiao, it was his ballsy, relentless attitude-parallel to that of Manny Pacquiao-an uncommon move from a Pacquiao opponent, but it was that single trait that both Barrera and Marquez lacked.
Barrera, brawler-turned-boxer, escaped ?that? fighting style years ago-and had no plans of revisiting it against Manny Pacquiao.
Marquez is a boxer-who learned the hard way: that brawling with Pacquiao can be career-threatening.
When Morales watched the adversity that Barrera and Marquez faced in their fights against Pacquiao, I imagine Morales playing Val Kilmer’s character in Tombstone, Doc Holiday. Morales, from his home in Tijuana, Mexico, watched Pacquiao unveil his opponent’s weaknesses, and said “I’m your huckleberry.”
As it turned out, he was.
Like a soldier in battle, Morales takes pride in his country, or at least his town, Zona Norte Tijuana. In a Drug lord infested, police corrupted, poverty-stricken town, battles are as common to Morales as gloves are to a boxer (in his case, Winning gloves). The fight that Pacquiao fought is the same fight that Barrera fought against Morales the first time. It was the fight that changed Barrera’s fighting style for good. He realized there was a fighter out there that fought the same way he did, only better.
This isn’t the first Country Morales has conquered. In 2001, Korea put forth their best fighter, In-jin Chi, on the Roy Jones, Jr.-Julio Gonzales undercard at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Erik Morales and In-jin Chi stole the show in a slugfest that proved costly for Chi. He would get a standing ovation for his performance, but it was Morales’ precise punching that earned him a unanimous decision.
Last July, a sold-out crowd at the MGM, most of them El Salvadorians-watched their fighter Carlos Hernandez receive a 12-round beating from Erik Morales.
And on Saturday, the Filipinos watched their compatriot lose a hard-fought battle to El “Terrible”.
Barrera, In-jin Chi, Carlos Hernandez, and now Pacquiao-were just names common to their countrymen, but after their battles with Morales, their stocked rose beyond “their” countries borderline.
The only stock that remained static was Erik Morales?. That is until Saturday night when he defeated the Mexican assassin, Manny Pacquiao. His fanbase, mainly in Tijuana, expanded throughout the Central region of Mexico. He is now ?their? champion?the People?s champion.
For now, Bob Arum, Morales? promoter, wants him to take on the winner of Jesus Chavez vs. Carlos Hernandez in April. Both fighters already share a loss to Morales.
But what does Morales want? His nemesis!
Marco Antonio Barrera-the only fighter to have ever defeat Morales. And he?s done it twice.
So why would Morales want to fight Barrera? If to be Mexico?s official champion doesn?t appeal Morales, then who is he fighting for?
“Para TIJUANA!”
