Boxing’s first ‘megafight’ of 2006 takes place this weekend when super-featherweight kingpins Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao again do battle in Las Vegas.
The duo are meeting for the second time after Morales scored a unanimous decision win over ‘Pac Man’ in March of last year.
The question on everybody’s lips is, will it be revenge or repeat?
The layers are in the main undecided, but given that Morales won by 115-113 on all three judges’ cards last time out, it’s maybe a little surprising that ‘El Terrible’ is not more of a convincing favourite here.
Those happy to oppose the Mexican are probably doing so in the knowledge that he is coming into the fight off a loss (he was schooled by Zahir Raheem last September).
There also seems to be some unrest in his training camp, as Morales has replaced his father as trainer with Jose Luis Lopez Sr. after his last outing.
However Morales, 48-3 with 34 knockouts, is too long in the tooth to let said trivialities get under his skin, and a change in camp may actually work in his favour
Besides, as shocking as the Raheem loss was, styles make fights and slick ‘cutey’ Raheem’s style was all wrong for Erik.
With Pacquiao it’s different in as much as you know what you are getting.
Manny is a high octane, buzz-saw of a fighter who throws leather all night long and who has real power.
He is 40-3-2 as a pro and is a genuinely explosive starter (20 KO wins before round five from a career that began back in 1995 will testify to this).
In trainer Freddie Roach he also has a good man in his corner, yet there have been rumours doing the rounds that his training has been hampered slightly by a nagging injury coming into the fight.
The key to predicting a winner here is trying to figure out who will be able to make the key adjustments necessary for victory.
My guess is that man will be Morales.
As tough and as dangerous Pacquiao is, he only really ever fights one way, whereas Morales can not only brawl but also box and keep things at long range when it suits.
He has a superior jab and is just that bit more rounded as a fighter.
I genuinely believe the only reason the first fight was even close on the scorecards was down to Morales’ desire to brawl and ‘out macho’ Pacquiao.
If he does so again then there is of course a chance Pacquiao could gain his revenge.
However if, as I expect him to do, Morales elects to box more this time he could easily run away with it.
As the old adage goes, ‘a man with one chopstick often goes hungry’, and I genuinely don’t think Pacquiao brings enough to the table in terms of a boxing brain or a ‘Plan B’ if things go awry early on.
