ERIK “El Terible” Morales went the full 12 rounds against different sparmates yesterday and declared himself ready for his March 19 showdown with Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Morales is peaking in perfect form, as he was declared ready for the worst, following his first 12-round sparring yesterday at the high-altitude Centro Ceremonial Otomi yesterday in preparation for his mammoth showdown with Pacquiao.
Under the supervision of his father Jose “Olivaritos” Morales, the Mexican warrior survived what was described as a “debilitating test” against different fresh sparmates, going the full 12 rounds easily.
The first public workout of Morales came barely a week after Pacquiao, training under the watchful eyes of Freddie Roach, also held his first 12-round sparring session with full media coverage against bigger Wild Card Gym fighters.
Morales actually held his 12-round session in virtual seclusion as Mexican mediamen were constrained to travel long and hard to reach the training site at the Otomi Mountains.
First to spar against Morales was Antonio “Barrio” Meza, who engaged the former three-division champion in a heated three-round affair.
Next came Sydney Olympic Games bronze medallist Cristian Bejarano followed by Rodrigo Jurez, who threw at Morales all the artillery that is expected to be launched by Pacquiao in their showdown.
Morales’ handlers, however, have indicated his sparring sessions against American Cornelius Lock and Mexican Fernando “Wary” Beltran Jr. will be most crucial in helping him hurdle Pacquiao.
The Filipino has proven to be a tough nut to crack for Mexican fighters. He stopped the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 and Juan Manuel Marquez had to come back from three knockdowns to salvage a draw with Pacquiao in his defense of the WBA/IBF featherweight titles last year.
