LOS ANGELES, California, United States of America — Promoters predicted a sell-out and billed the March 19 boxing event a “war,” but Manny Pacquiao leaves for Mexico on Tuesday to help sell his fight against Erik Morales in the country of his opponent.
Pacquiao said he’s been extremely excited at the big bout, described here as a scorching showdown.
Pacquiao said he was as excited about Morales as when he fought Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003.
Respect earned The odds against Morales, which have tilted in Pacquiao’s favor, show the respect the Filipino boxing hero has earned since his sensational conquest of Barrera.
Pacquiao yesterday confirmed that he has been initially pegged a strong favorite among bookmakers in Las Vegas where the fight will be held.
He was a 3-1 underdog against Barrera whom he stopped in the 11th round in their San Antonio, Texas showdown.
Pacquiao said he would prefer that the odds become even in the run-up to the fight.
He said the surge of sentiment in his favor must have been a result of his sensational conquest of Barrera, who last November dethroned Morales as world super featherweight king.
“Sana maging even lang ang odds [I hope the odds become even],” he said. “Pero bale wala na ‘yan, hindi naman ako pumupusta [But it doesn’t matter; I’m not wagering].”
Pacquiao was surprised when told that he was scheduled to leave for Mexico with his trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Murad Muhammad to help sell the March 19 showdown.
Least worried The trip should take him out of the gym for at least a couple of days but Pacquiao appeared the least worried.
In fact, he told the Inquirer he has to slow down a bit in his training in order to avoid a burnout.
He begins sparring next week but Pacquiao, a tireless and hard worker, said he would start with four-round on-ring workouts.
He did the usual morning jog followed up by gym routines in the afternoon yesterday.
Then tinkering with a guitar and belting out a few songs, he clarified that, other than the $1.75 million (about P98 million) purse against Morales, he would be entitled to a percentage in the pay-per-view earnings.
Much stronger He said he expects to face Morales in the same form he had when he fought Juan Manuel Marquez to a controversial 12-round draw, also at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last May.
Roach, however, said Pacquiao is sure to come in much stronger against Morales.
The Pacquiao-Morales showdown will be at 130 pounds, a totally new territory for the Filipino ring sensation who once held the IBF bantamweight (122 lb) title. Pacquiao, 5-foot-6, will come in a couple of inches shorter than Morales, who could be fighting for the last time as a super featherweight before moving up to the lightweight division.
Just like in his clash with Barrera when he had to move up to 126 pounds, Pacquiao has to again jump overnight to a heavier division.
But Pacquiao and Roach were one in assuring fans that the sudden shift should not be a cause for worry.
“Morales is a little taller but we know how to cut off that advantage,” Roach said.
He added Pacquiao cannot be expected to go up all the way to 130 pounds as this would make him bloated.
Perfect foe Roach assured Pacquiao packs the bigger punch, adding Morales should be a perfect foe because the Mexican legend loves to mix it up.
Meanwhile, Morales has been quoted as saying that Pacquiao has made a mistake in thinking he has the stronger punch.
“I hit harder,” Morales said. “This will be a war.”
Said Bob Arum of Top Rank: “Fight fans are going to see an all-action fight from bell-to-bell. This is an exciting event and this is what professional boxing is all about.”
