ERIK MORALES’ pre-training camp workout is right on target, the Mexican puncher’s promoter Top Rank said in an article that came out in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper on Thursday (Friday in the Philippines).
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum said Morales, who is aching to get back at Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 18, is “tremendously enthusiastic” about the progress of his conditioning under John Park of the Velocity Training Center in Los Angeles.
Morales claimed that he was drained by efforts of making the super-featherweight limit of 130 lbs last January against Pacquiao and is definitely going into the highly-awaited rubber match in the best shape of his career.
The past two weeks, Morales, who will be 30 by the time he locks horns with the Filipino buzzsaw at the Thomas and Mack Center late this year, has been undergoing special weight training under experts the past two weeks.
Morales barely made the weight when he got knocked out by Pacquiao early this year and he blamed the rapid weight reduction to the 10th round stoppage loss.
Morales’ confidence also got a big boost with the return of his long-time trainer and father Jose “Olivaritos” Morales to his entourage after the elder Morales was junked in favor of Jose Luis Lopez in the Pacquiao rematch.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s confidant Wakee Salud said Top Rank is urging Pacquiao to fly to the US on Aug. 8 in time for the official press conference announcing the Pacquiao-Morales III.
“Bob Arum wants Manny to be there because that’s a very important event,” said Salud from his homebase in Cebu. “But Manny hasn’t decided as to when we are going to the US because he’s pretty much loaded in the coming days because of shootings and singing engagements.”
Pacquiao starred in a mini-concert held somewhere in Quezon City over the weekend.
“Mas kinabahan pa nga ako sa pagkanta kaysa sa laban sa ibabaw ng ring,” said Pacquiao.
