Erik ?El Terrible? Morales, the former three-time world champion and the most popular Mexican fighter today, admits that Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao ?is a pretty good fighter? and he won?t take him lightly in their March 19 showdown in Las Vegas.
?It (the fight) will be a great fight for the fans,? said Morales.
In an exclusive interview conducted for two pre-fight TV specials to be telecast in the ?Bring It On? series over RPN-9 beginning Sunday, well-known writer James Blears of Boxing Scene said Morales, who is training for a high-octane war against Pacquiao, said he?s relishing the challenge and was confident he will emerge victorious in a classic.
Morales said he was ?really looking forward? to the fight, adding that Pacquiao ?is strong and fast, but like all fighters, he has defects and imperfections and it?s my job to exploit them. Boxing is a question of complement of styles. For him, his left hand is very important but the one who has the more power and also the greater skills will win the fight.?
Morales is training in the high altitude of Otomi Center away from the bustling city life in Mexico and will only head for Las Vegas a few days before the battle with Pacquiao.
?In my fights, I?ve always been a champion and I?m going to try to do it this time,? Morales told Blears. ?It also depends on who fights best on the night. I think my particular style and technique will help me a lot.?
Asked whether it is going to be a war, a chess match or a combination of both, Morales felt that a lot will depend on hand speed and strength.
Morales? father and trainer Joe Morales is expecting a hard, tough but also fair fight.
?Manny is an aggressive but also a clean fighter. He does not head-butt or rabbit punch. There are many different types of punches, which a southpaw like Manny brings to a fight and that is the technical challenge. We have a lot of respect for Manny. He?s not common or dirty in the ring like (Marco Antonio) Barrera who used his elbows and other illegal means which the referee did not pull up (in their last fight),? said Morales? father.
The trainer concluded, ?for me, Erik?s greater experience at this level will count for a lot. Manny is rather limited. He does have a heavy left hand, but that?s it.?
