At some point in every great fighter’s career there are no more bullets left in the chambers. This appears to be the case for Erik Morales, as after a two or 3 rounds with Manny Pacquiao this past Saturday night he was firing blanks. Remember last week, I reluctantly picked Morales to win if he had anything left in the tank? Well, I saw something in his eyes even as he made his way into the ring that made me kind of know that he knew the outcome of this before the first bell, but being the fighter he is he was going to at least give it a shot. As I stated last week, you just can’t have all the tough battles that Morales has been through over the years and, given his body type, expect to sustain his excellence. In truth, he has been slipping a little that last few years, but he is such a good fighter and such a tough guy that he has been able to fight through it, much like some fighters are able to fight through fatigue during a tough fight.
I hope you don’t think I’m taking anything away from Manny; after all I picked him to beat Morales in their first fight and, actually, I thought he might stop Erik in that one. Maybe the cut he sustained in that first fight really did through off his game plan, or maybe he just learned from the first fight and went into this one with a much more versatile attack. He worked Morales up and down, over and under, and Manny displayed much better defense and angles. He really fought a very good fight. So by all means, I in no way want to mitigate what he accomplished this past Saturday. In fact this win really cements Pacquiao’s legacy in my opinion. I mean he has not only beaten 2 Mexican legends, 2 Mexican warriors, 2 Mexican all time greats, in Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, he basically made both of them quit, and that my pugilistic friends is saying something and then some.
What is next for these two, Pacquiao, and Morales? Well, I hope Morales retires for the reasons I have stated over the last few weeks. I also don’t think he needs any money, I mean he has made a fortune just in his 3 fights with Barrera, and after all he lives in Tijuana, were dollars and pesos go a long, long way. There is so much he can do for the sport as a trainer or commentator or maybe as a promoter. He is a very bright guy so I hope he stays out of the ring.
As for the Pacman, well there are all kinds of possibilities; obviously the first that comes to mind would be a rubber match with Morales, or more likely a rematch with Barrera, bad news for both Mexican fighters. There are plenty of action fights for him out there, how about a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez who fought Manny to a draw less than 2 years ago. He also can step up in weight and find no shortage of great fights. Hey, how about a match with Diego Corrales or Acelino Freitas or Zahir Raheem, all kinds of intriguing stuff in the Pacman’s future. We have a lot to look forward to with him, but I will warn you of one thing, given Manny’s style don’t expect to see him fighting beyond age 30, just like Morales, his chambers will most likely be empty by then as well, but fortunately for us he is only 27 years old. Thanks to Pacquiao and Morales for their 2 spectacular fights, we’ll just have to wait and see if there will be a third.
This weekend Arturo Gatti returns to the ring for the first time since being blitzed by Floyd Mayweather last June. This fight will take place in the same place as that one, Gatti’s back yard of the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. Fortunately for Gatti, Mayweather will be nowhere in sight. His opponent is unbeaten 37-0 (27 KO’s) Thomas Damgaard of Denmark. The only things I know about him are his record, he’s 34 years old, he’s a southpaw, and he is a naturally bigger guy than Gatti, but that is the old Gatti. This 33-year-old Gatti may enter the ring weighing who knows what, hopefully not as much as his trainer Buddy McGirt, just kidding around. If Gatti wins this fight he will most likely continue to fight. There are certainly guys he can still beat, but is the price he will pay down the road worth the purse for these fights at this point in his career and at this stage of his life. We all know the answer let’s hope Gatti figures it out sooner than later.
Check out www.inthiscornertv.com for more info.
