Erik ?El Terible? Morales of Mexico has so much respect for Manny ?Pac Man? Pacquiao that he chose the Filipino bomber for an opponent over his fierce rival Marco Antonio Barrera and other challengers ?of lesser stature.?
Morales, who lost his World Boxing Council superfeatherweight title to Barrera in their rubber match last November, said he feels the explosive Pacquiao is just the right foe to start his 2005 campaign against.
?I have another opportunity to show that, in boxing, you need to be explosive. Boxing needs explosive fights. Don’t be surprised if this is one of my best performances,? Morales was quoted by Web site ringsidereport.com.
?I gave the public three great fights last year. Even though I’m disappointed that I didn’t close it out (with a victory against Barrera), beginning the year by fighting a great warrior like Pacquiao is exciting,? he added.
Morales’ promoter, Bob Arum, said a fourth encounter with Barrera is tempting, but a fight with the People featherweight champion Pacquiao is still the ?biggest? of them all.
?My thinking is that he is the kind of fighter Erik Morales is: Morales is a warrior,? Arum said. ?He only wants to do big fights. He doesn’t want to do lesser fights.?
?He feels he let a lot of people down in the Barrera fight. And he wanted the biggest fight out there, and clearly the biggest fight out there for him was Pacquiao,? Arum added.
No title will be at stake in the March 19 Pacquiao-Morales duel but ring buffs are one in saying it has the makings of ?fight of the year.?
Morales, 28, totes a 47-2 win-loss slate with 34 knockouts. He has won championships in the superbantamweight, featherweight and super-featherweight divisions.
Pacquiao, 26, is 39-2-2 with 30 knockouts, snagging titles in the 122-lb and 126-lb wars along the way. He knocked out Barrera in 11 rounds 2003 and fought International Boxing Federation featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez to a split draw that many felt should have been awarded to the Filipino.
Pacquiao evokes the same respect for Morales.
?This is so very important for me, because it’s for the honor of my country, my family, and I know Erik Morales is a very good boxer,? Pacquiao, was quoted by boxingscene.com.
?I’m not going to say I’m going to knock Erik out. But I’m going to try my very best, show the benefits of my homework and good skill up in the ring. I want everybody to love this fight,? he added.
Pacquiao seemed to be unconcerned about fighting in the super featherweight division for the first time, saying for him it’s virtually like being a featherweight and it’s now his regular weight.
