MEXICAN IDOL Erik “El Terrible” Morales has until May 20 to decide whether he will invoke the rematch clause stated in his fight contract versus Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.
American trainer Freddie Roach made this disclosure when asked to give concrete information about the possibility of Morales and Pacquiao duking it out for a third time before the end of the year.
“If they don’t sign the contract on the 20th, that fight is not going to happen,” Roach bared.
Pacquiao evened up his duel with Morales last January via 10th round TKO in Las Vegas. Morales won the initial encounter March of last year with a close but deserving 12-round verdict in Los Angeles.
Roach believes the fight boxing fans want to happen is the rematch between Pacquiao and another Mexican supremo Marco Antonio Barrera, the current World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight king.
“Obviously Barrera holds the belts and since Manny beat Barrera, he’s been on a roll and he’s been looking pretty good in his recent fights,” added Roach.
Meanwhile, the buildup for the upcoming 12-round battle between Pacquiao and Larios to be held at the Araneta Coliseum has started.
Though boxing purists simply label it as plain hype, it cannot be denied that Larios is a livewire foe, having been a world champion for a longtime in the superbantamweight class, the former lair of Pacquiao.
Rafael Mendoza, handler of Larios and more than a dozen Mexican world champs, started the media punchout by declaring that his boxer is easily the more superior fighter than the two Mexican kingpins Morales and Barrera.
“I’ll give you a simple answer. Because Larios is better than Morales and better Barrera,” declared Mendoza when asked about the chances of Larios against Pacquiao.
Mendoza, who was joined by trainer Edison Reynoso, said that with Pacquiao giving Larios a chance to fight him means that the Filipino ring warrior is ready to fight against anybody in any place.
