LOS ANGELES ? Former Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach said yesterday he was wishing the explosive battle with Erik ?El Terrible? Morales were today ?because my guy (Manny Pacquiao) is ready to go right now.?
Roach spoke to Manila Standard Today at the jam-packed Wild Card Gym Saturday after Pacquiao finished his final public sparring session for scores of adoring fans, who share a new sense of national pride because of Pacquiao?s achievements in the ring.
Filipino men, women and children of all ages trekked to the Wild Card Gym from as far away as Texas and other states in America to catch a glimpse of the single biggest unifying force among them.
Every time Pacquiao caught his sparring partners with a flurry of lighting-quick combinations, they broke out into applause and chanted his name ?Manny, Manny!?
Roach said Pacquiao was ?in the best shape of his life because he had a couple of extra weeks to train? after the planned Feb. 26 rematch with featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez was scuttled. At that time, the Mexican demanded too much money, which was believed to be his way out of tangling with Pacquiao once again following the embarrassing three knockdowns he suffered in their first encounter in May last year.
?This is the fight we wanted for Manny because, quite frankly, Morales is an easier fight than a rematch with Marquez or Marco Antonio Barrera,? said Roach.
Roach conceded that Morales is taller and will probably enter the ring at least 10 pounds heavier than Pacquiao.
?This will be to our advantage since he will be slower and he won?t be able to cope with Manny?s speed,? said Roach. ?It is easy to draw Morales into a war and that is where he will pay the price because of the devastating punching power of Pacquiao.?
However, the astute trainer said he expects Morales to try and entice Pacquiao to come in because the Mexican is ?effective at close range with his uppercut,? but said they have the fight plan nailed down.
He said Pacquiao will ?move in and out quickly,? with a lot of head and body movement that will not give Morales a chance to catch him with his vaunted right or his patented uppercut.
Morales? style was approximated by undefeated lightweight Jose Sta. Cruz, who is a lanky fighter with an 18-0 record and went two rounds with Pacquiao in sparring today.
International Boxing Federation junior featherweight champion Israel Vasquez, who is a good friend of Pacquiao and won the title the Filipino vacated, engaged the Ring Magazine champion in a couple of torrid exchanges for four rounds with the hard-hitting Filipino often having to ease up in order not to hurt Vasquez.
Roach was angered by claims that Pacquiao?s sparring partners were ?inferior? to those of Morales, saying you can quote me, ?the guy who wrote that is stupid and doesn?t know what he?s talking about.?
?He talks about Johnny Tapia being superior to Vasquez, who is a world champion and Sta. Cruz, who is 18-0. Tapia is my friend but his days are long gone,? said Roach.
Sta. Cruz, who was removed as a sparring partner of Barrera after he proved too good, said he expects Pacquiao to ?win by a knockout before 10 rounds,? stressing that Pacquiao ?hits very hard, is quick and now knows how to box and moves very well.?
Pacquiao spent over an hour in the gym signing autographs on T-shirts, photos, posters and other souvenirs and posing for pictures with fans.
He attended the 8:30 a.m. Mass at Christ the King church near the Wild Card Gym on Vine Street with members of Team Pacquiao, including business manager Rod Nazario and Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez and received a special blessing from Fr. Antonio Cacciaapuoti, the Italian parish priest.
Pacquiao was called by Fr. Antonio to the footsteps of the altar, where the priest asked God to bless him and ?keep him safe from injury and instill respect for each other and give him perseverance.?
As the congregation gave Pacquiao a rousing round of applause, Fr. Antonio told him ?we are all going to pray for you on March 19.?
He also blessed and thanked the members of Team Pacquiao for honoring the parish with their presence at the Mass.
