ERIK MORALES has already started high-altitude training in the Otomi mountains in anticipation of an epic war with Filipino Manny Pacquiao on March 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In a press statement just before he left his hometown of Tijuana, Morales reiterated his respect for the GenSan hitter who has been installed a slight favorite in their scheduled 12-rounder dubbed by Top Rank and M&M Sports as “Bring It On.”
“Pacquiao is very dangerous because of his power,” Morales said. “And I am not going to underestimate him even for one second in our fight.”
Morales is coming off a grueling 12-round battle with arch rival Marco Antonio Barrera, who was devastated by Pacquiao in late-2003 and who topped Morales in their third meeting on Nov. 27, 2004.
Like Morales, Pacquiao is also not taking it nice and easy considering that he is going up against one of the fiercest competitors of the fight game in Morales.
He has already sparred heavily under the watchful eyes of trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Pacquiao drew with Juan Manuel Marquez in May last year and knocked out Thai Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand in a non-title fight just before 2004 came to a close.
