HBO World Championship Boxing Pay Per View is presenting a rematch between two of the top fighters in the game. Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao and Erik Morales had a heated battle on March 19th, 2005, with the Mexican warrior getting the nod by unanimous decision in a very close battle. All three judges were in agreement and scored it 115-113 collectively, but a draw would not have been out of the question. Due to the drawing power of both men and the fact that Morales eked by, a rematch was not out of the question and is taking place on January 21st.
Going into the initial bout, Manny Pacquiao was the hottest property in boxing. Marco Antonio Barrera, who was considered one of the best in the game and still is by many, was completely dominated and stopped in eleven rounds. The next bout against Juan Manuel Marquez for the IBF/WBA Featherweight Championship was an impressive showing for the “Pac Man,” but ended in controversy. After knocking Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round and going on to clearly win the fight in my opinion, a draw was announced. Even though that verdict is official, the boxing public knows just who won that fight had the first round been scored by all three judges 10-7 as it should have been. A new superstar was on the scene and disposing of top-notch competition with his explosive power, which set up a mega bout with Erik Morales.
Erik Morales, up to the point of facing Manny the first time around, he only lost to Marco Antonio Barrera , but he has consistently performed in other fights, beating very good competition and etching his name onto the list of great Mexican boxers. His skill and awareness in the ring would give Pacquiao trouble and it certainly did. Morales survived some shaky moments to defeat his unorthodox opponent. He used much of what Juan Manuel Marquez did positively against “Pac Man,” but Morales is a bigger boxer and at a higher skill level and was able to accomplish much more. Morales and Pacquiao provided many fireworks and are supposed to do the same in this upcoming rematch, but circumstances have changed.
To hype the proposed rematch, both boxers were given difficult, but beatable opponents on a live HBO World Championship Boxing broadcast. These bouts may have told us just what to expect going into this match.
Their Previous Bouts
Manny Pacquiao KO-6 Hector Velazquez
Hector Velazquez is a durable and rather large fighter with a record of 42-10-2, 31 KO’s going into the bout. He was strong enough to give Pacquiao trouble, but was far too slow to sustain an attack. As the rounds went on, the speed and stamina were the difference as Velazquez crashed to the canvas in the sixth round. It was an impressive performance and set up the rematch. Now, all Morales had to do was to win his fight.
Erik Morales L-12 Zahir Raheem
Zahir Raheem, 27-1, 16 KO’s, finally got an opportunity to prove just how great that he is and completely dominated the favored Morales over twelve rounds. This fight was a shut out with Raheem winning at least 10 of the 12 rounds with his speed and constant right crosses told the tale and the judges had no other option, but to give it to the underdog. It seemed that Morales had gotten old overnight and the rematch with Pacquiao was now in doubt.
The Questions
Judging By The One-Sided Loss to Raheem, Is Erik Morales A Spent Force?
I don’t think that the Raheem loss means a whole lot going into this rematch with the “Pac Man.” Even if Morales is beyond his prime and has slipped a few notches, he still will do very well against a fighter that stands in front of him like Pacquiao certainly does. The loss was more of a case of what Raheem was instead of what Morales wasn’t. I don’t believe that Morales is any less of a fighter than he was in their initial encounter. Zahir Raheem is a fighter that should be undefeated and will probably be on the pound for pound list in the near future.
What Changes Can We Expect To See From Manny Pacquiao?
The “Pac Man” is infamous for repeating the same pattern in the ring over and over again. It was figured out and his productivity was ceased by Marquez initially, and then by Morales. In order to be successful, a new strategy will have to be employed to penetrate the defense of his opponent. With Freddie Roach in his corner, I know that we will see a new look and more importantly, Morales will have to be ready for some new tactics. I believe that the “Pac Man” will be extremely aggressive, even more than usual, in the first four rounds in an attempt to rattle Morales to see if he has been bothered mentally by the loss to Raheem, and to see if he can exploit it and perhaps score and early knockout.
What’s Going To Happen On January 21st?
Whatever happens in this rematch, it will not be a repeat of the first bout. Erik Morales is going into this bout with more to prove than his opponent and will certainly affect the way that he fights. He will not want to leave any doubt, erasing his recent loss and starting anew. This mindset will bring a more aggressive Morales pushing the bout and going head to head and punch for punch with the knockout force, Pacquiao. This will give “Pac Man” the best chance to win and it also creates a likely scenario of the bout being stopped on a cut due to a head butt. Barring the unfortunate early stoppage from a cut, I see a reversal of fortune in this rematch. There were several occasions in the first fight when Morales was really affected by body shots. Pacquiao will most likely throw to the body on a more consistent basis, which is the key to victory. The momentum is with Pacquiao and so is the confidence. I see an explosive first half of the fight with the “Pac Man” doing what no other man has been able to do: knock out Erik Morales. Morales is going to try to impose himself and establish that he is the stronger of the two, which he is, but he does not have the explosive power that his opponent does. Manny Pacquiao is going to chop away at the body when they are close and catch Morales with that quick left cross that has done so much damage to other great fighters. When the dust settles, Erik Morales will be helpless against the ropes, with the referee rescuing him in the eighth round.
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