On November 18th, the rubber match between two all time greats will take place. The torch was passed to Manny Pacquiao on January 21st, 2006, and now Erik Morales wants to take it back. At this point, there is a lot of hope and money riding on the Filipino superstar, and to many, it is a foregone conclusion that Morales will fall again in this upcoming Pay Per View, but you cannot discount the Mexican warrior. Erik Morales is not coming to lose, and is a very live underdog in this showdown.
Erik Morales is a former Super Bantamweight, Featherweight, and Super Featherweight Champion, and has faced and has beaten the best. He has beaten Junior Jones, Wayne McCullough, Kevin Kelley, Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez, and had a memorable trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera. He is an old thirty years of age, and has had fifty two fights, compiling a record of, 48-4, 34 KO’s. Anyone viewing his r?sum? can see that “El Terrible” is an all time great, but his recent bouts have shaken that status in the minds of some. He has only won one of his last four bouts, and his last two defeats, he lost very badly. Zahir Raheem had a field day, beating Morales to the punch every minute of every round, winning a wide decision. He would then find himself on the canvas and stopped for the first time in his career against Manny Pacquiao. The all time great has fallen from grace, but can get it all back in this upcoming rubber match.
Manny Pacquiao has won Titles in the Flyweight, and Super Bantamweight divisions, and is currently one of the biggest draws in boxing. With a record of, 42-3-2, 33 KO’s, he has established himself as a superstar and with the strong Filipino following, his popularity is rarely seen. He has knocked out some of the toughest in the game in Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar Larios, and nearly flattened Juan Manuel Marquez in one round. He has only had one loss since 1999, and that was a decision loss to the man that he faces on November 18th. The momentum is with the “Pacman,” and so too is the pressure. Golden Boy Promotions certainly wants to set up a rematch between Marco Antonio Barrera and the Filipino star, and with the popularity of Pacquiao, a loss to Morales would be a disaster.
In order to realistically look at this upcoming rubber match, we must look back at the two encounters and see what transpired and why we will be watching a third encounter between these two warriors.
March 19th, 2005: Erik Morales W-12 Manny Pacquiao
We had a unanimous decision with all judges in agreement: 115-113 for the winner, Erik Morales. In the opening round, we had the answer to the outcome. A body shot by Pacquiao really hurt Morales, but the tough Mexican maintained his composure and stuck to his game plan, keeping at the correct distance and using his skill to keep the “Pacman” at bay and controlling him with the jab. The more skillful Morales mixed boxing and slugging at periods to gain the lead and stay on top until the end. Manny didn’t show the ability to adjust and seemed content to just try to land that straight left hand and end the night.
Erik Morales took a page out of the book that Juan Manuel Marquez wrote in his life and death battle with Pacquiao. Marquez showed how to control the Filipino tornado and won many of the closing rounds of that bout. This was a masterful performance by “El Terrible” and was well earned, leading to a rematch.
January 21st, 2006, Manny Pacquiao TKO-10 Erik Morales
The inability to adjust during a bout may have hurt Pacquiao in the first encounter, but he certainly improved from their initial encounter. Although the first five rounds seem to follow the script from the first bout, there were some subtle things that were going on that meant a lot at the end. The body work that didn’t seem to do a lot of damage initially slowed Morales down and made him a stationary target, leaving him open for the straight left and right hook that was a new weapon in the Pacquiao arsenal. The punches and pressure that Morales encountered and possibly some doubt in himself after the one-sided loss to Raheem, took away all ambition to win and he was content to take his beating.
Anyone standing directly in front of Pacquiao and waiting for the bomb to land will not have to wait long. Erik Morales was destroyed in the tenth rounds, emotionally and physically. This victory placed the “Pacman” on a new level, and dropped Morales off the map.
November 18th, 2006, the Grand Finale
There is a lot of talk about the weight and health of Erik Morales going into this third encounter. The back to back losses to Raheem and Pacquiao has seemed to erase the memories of the fans that this man was, at one time, nearly unbeatable. I think that Morales wants people to think that he is coming into this bout drained. He especially wants the “Pacman” to think it, much like George Foreman hoped that Evander Holyfield would think that he was out of shape for his 1991 Heavyweight Title Challenge. The worst thing that Manny can do is to underestimate his opponent on November 18th. This bout is not about money for Morales. This is about pride and redemption. He wants very badly to go back to Mexico a hero, just as Julio Cesar Chavez did when he pulled a rabbit out of his hat when he defeated Meldrick Taylor the first time.
A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous person and that man is Erik Morales. In this contest, Manny Pacquiao has the weight of the world on his shoulders. The rematch with Barrera, and a future as a major Pay Per View attraction are on the line in this dangerous meeting. Pacquiao is standing on a lot of money and Morales wants nothing more than to knock him off of it and prove that the man that crumbled under the pressure in their last encounter and was nearly shut out by Raheem was not who he is.
Although I favor Manny Pacquiao to win, I do believe that Erik Morales has never been more dangerous to anyone. I see Morales controlling the first five or six rounds by controlling the distance and frustrating Pacquiao, but the weight fluctuation and lack of ring activity along with the psychological edge that the “Pacman” possesses are going to prove very difficult to cope with in the later rounds. Manny is an active fighter with a huge punch and has been improving. He is the man of the hour and I believe that when the dust settles, we will see the Filipino superstar pounding Morales to the floor again in the ninth round, forcing the “El Terrible” corner or referee to stop it, sending the great Mexican warrior into retirement.
