MANNY PACQUIAO has decided that he will fight Erik Morales even if the Mexican weighs over 130 lbs, but his weight should not exceed 132 lbs in which case, they will take the fine of 0,000 per excess pound from Morales and pack up and leave.
This was disclosed by the Filipino’s chief trainer Freddie Roach on Tuesday after he was asked Pacquiao’s options in the event this scenario becomes a reality.
Morales’ weight has been in the news lately after he weighed in at 142 pounds last Oct. 18, barely making the stipulated weight set by the World Boxing Council for a fighter one month before the fight. Boxers must weigh only up to 10 percent over the limit.
During the same weigh in, Pacquiao was 135 lbs.
“We will take the money and fight Morales if he weighs in not more than 132 lbs,” Roach told the Bulletin when asked about their options yesterday.
In a contract drawn shortly after Pacquiao beat Morales early this year, both fighters agreed to pay 0,000 per excess pound to the other. It did not say what would happen should both of them come in overweight.
The fight will be held Nov. 18 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
In any event, the fighter who makes the weight has the option to continue the fight.
The contract also says that the overweight fighter, not the promoter of the fight Top Rank, will pay the fine.
“Manny and myself have talked about this and we have both agreed (on the option),” said Roach. “Manny and I agreed that there’s going to be no fight if Morales weighs more than that (132 lbs).”
Pacquiao is guaranteed a paycheck of million (about P150 million), the biggest of his career, a far cry from the paltry ,000 purse he made during his US debut in June 2001.
Roach has expressed a bit of concern over the result of Morales weigh-in staged in Mexico City over the weekend.
“Yeah,” Roach said in response to the statement by the interviewer about Morales seemingly having a hard time getting his weight down.
Morales is currently in the thick of training supervised by Velocity Sports Performance in Los Angeles, an ultra-modern training facility in Los Angeles that specializes in weight reduction and physical conditioning.
Even though Morales passed the test, ringsiders believe the 30-year-old Tijuana native will still have his hands full in the coming few weeks.
Despite spending eight weeks under a team of experts at the Velocity Sports Performance, and undergoing a month’s training in the mountains of Otomi outside Mexico City, Morales still looked a bit puffed up.
Morales has been having a hard time making 130 lbs the past two years and in the tenth-round knockout loss he suffered against Pacquiao, he blamed fatigue, lack of preparation and having to scale down to 130 lbs as reasons for the debacle.
A recent Manila visitor, Mexican boxing agent Rafael Mendoza boasted that “you have to cut off Morales’ feet” for him to make 130.
“He will have to kill himself to make that weight,” said Mendoza.
Morales handlers and the fighter himself, however, announced they are on track and will make the limit easily.
