Showing once again, that smaller fighters have bigger balls than fighters in heavier divisions, Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will be laying it on the line, in a fight neither needed to take this March 19th. This is a dangerous fight for both men. Their stocks are high and could be fighting lesser opponents that wear title belts. Both have built in fan bases, so they draw a crowd regardless of the opponent. But that’s not the road they chose to go down. Instead they have opted to give us a, dare I say, a Super Fight.
One thing that stands out when sizing these two up is Marco Antonio Barrera. You could say that Barrera helped make Pacquiao and Morales famous. Morales with their blood and guts trilogy and Pacquiao with his breakout win.
So, it should stand to reason that if Morales lost twice to Barrera, and Pacquiao walked all over Barrera, then Pacquiao should have no trouble doing the same to Morales. That’s the lazy man’s way of picking a winner. That’s usually my way, but when I look at this fight it’s hard to take the easy way out. And if history has taught us anything, a similar opponent isn’t always a good indicator of who will win.
There are many to choose from, but here are two fights that stand out in my mind right now.
Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman
Going into this fight no one gave Ali a chance against Foreman. Foreman was younger, stronger, and at this point he had steamrolled every opponent he had faced. Ali was thought to have been reaching the twilight of his career. The thought that he would go to Zaire and walk away with a knockout victory was inconceivable.
Both fighters had fought Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. This was a measuring stick for most people. Ali had split fights with both men, losing the first bout. You could even make the argument that Norton had actually beaten Ali both times. Foreman, on the other hand, completely annihilated Frazier and Norton. Frazier was sent to the canvas six times in their fight and Norton was no match either. It wasn’t a question if Ali would get knocked out, but when.
The result: Ali KO8.
Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns
This fight was billed as a war, and that’s exactly what the fans were given. In retrospect, I’m surprised so many picked Hearns to win, but a lot of it had to do with Roberto Duran. Hagler struggled against Duran on his way to a decision victory. What’s interesting about that fight was its length. The fight was a 15 rounder. If it had been 12, Duran would have been declared the winner. Hearns had very little trouble with Duran. Many were calling their fight a Super Fight, but it ended with a crushing right hand to Duran’s jaw. The fight was over in the second round. The thinking was that Hearns’ power would be enough to take the title away from Hagler. I have no idea why anyone thought this, since Hagler had only been knocked down once in his career by Juan Domingo Roldan, but as we know, that was a terrible call.
The result: Hagler KO3
So, when making your wagers on this fight, be cautious when looking at history. Sometimes things don’t always add up.
