When Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales face off next weekend, it?s probably the biggest marquee fight so far this year. That?s saying a lot considering how many talented performers have already appeared in what?s shaping up as another great season for boxing fans. The fight game may not be perfect. You can put a wart or two on somebody like Angelina Jolie and she?s still not going to be lonely. When Filipino icon Pacquiao charges into the towering Mexican hero, many scenarios could unfold. While that?s true of any fight, in this one the talent level and mutual history of fantastic shootouts indicates that however affairs conclude, it will probably be with a thud. Each guy is so tenacious it?s hard to envision either man senseless on the canvas, but each guy is also such a brutal finisher that it?s easy to picture the ref saving somebody from leather hell.
Pacquiao, 39-2-2 (30), holds a decisive victory over another Mexican superstar, Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera, as any fan knows, is Morales?s arch-rival, who came out on top in two out of three storied encounters, all with razor-thin margins of victory.
Therefore, the ?one common opponent? theory points to a big Pacquiao victory. It?s probably not as simple as that. The 5?8? Morales has a better style and physique for dealing with the 5?6? Pacquiao than Barrera did. Barrera repeatedly marched into the buzzsaw and figured he?d get the best of exchanges sooner or later. Wrong.
The 28-year-old Morales, 47-2 (34), doesn?t seem as likely to fall victim to the same tactical miscue. First, he has the benefit of seeing what happened to Barrera when he stayed in the trenches too long. Pacquiao certainly won?t sneak up on him.
?This is the most important fight of my career,? said Morales, ?I know what Pacquiao will bring, speed and strength. I am ready. I?m prepared to dig in for the fight of my life.?
There?s something else more important, one of those so-called intangibles.
This one concerns the heart, El Corazon, the people.
The cheers of Mexico?s fans will be in unison. Even Barrera, in a typical gesture, was widely quoted as saying of course he hoped Morales would fare well against Pacquiao, if only because of national pride and shared history. Morales, true to his established persona, would accept none of Barrera?s bouquets.
?I don?t believe anything he says, so I don?t care what he says,? fumed Morales.
Despite Morales?s dismissive bitterness, he is fully aware of one huge factor, the aforementioned intangible.
Morales understands that just as fanatic Filipinos will be locked into fight week, the emotions of Mexico will ride with the veteran from Tijuana. Barrera may always have a slim nod in their classic trilogy, but it?s still debatable, and if Morales takes Pacquiao, he?ll pick up the banner that was blasted from Barrera?s hands.
A victory over Barrera?s conqueror counts for a hell of a lot in the all-time ranking debate. Morales also has a victory over Junior Jones, who beat Barrera twice, including a stoppage.
Morales has never been stopped. That?s not to say it can?t happen Saturday night.
The 26-year-old Pacquiao?s biggest claim to fame is the one-sided decision he pounded out over Barrera in November, 2003. His follow-up was a 12-round draw with Juan Manuel Marquez last May. There was much haggling to get right to the rematch, but whatever the case, it was one of those situations where everyone said they wanted the fight, but not much moved in that direction.
When the date became open, with Pacquiao still penciled in, Morales once again showed he was serious about fighting the very best. This fight, bigger than Pacquiao-Marquez II, was put together quickly.
In Morales?s recent fights against Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez (who are scheduled to meet this summer by the way), he showed vulnerability to pressure. His second loss to Barrera last November showed more. If Pacquiao can force his way in behind straight shots that fold Morales into range, Pacquiao could finish him off early.
In his most recent contest, Pacquiao stopped Fahsan Thawatchai in four rounds back home. His slate isn?t close to Morales?s overall level of opposition.
Maybe the ring wars have put more mileage on Morales than he?s shown yet. The ?growing old overnight? scenario could unfold immediately as Pacquiao smashes him into geezerville.
For that to happen, Pacquiao will have to get through a minefield of counterpunches. That could take all night, it could take two rounds. If Morales gets hurt early, don?t expect Pacquiao, or especially trainer Freddie Roach, to hold back. There must still be some disappointment that Marquez got off the hook.
?Style-wise, I think Manny can knock him out,? said Roach, matter-of-factly.
The move up from 126 may not seem like enough of a jump to cause Pacquiao major concern, but Morales has fought at 130 for a couple of years now, and he?ll know how to make it count. If Morales can use a straight-arm defense to either block the attack or loop in counterpunches that leave the opening for the overhand bludgeons that could shock many folks, not the least of whom is Pacquiao, there?s a very good chance that Pacquiao has never felt power in combinations like Morales will throw at him.
This shapes up as one of those encounters where you should be able to see the pattern of what will occur within a round or so.
A $400 ringside ($75 high grandstand) seat for this card is one of the better bargains in town considering half the Cirque du Soleil shows are over $100 for a seat a long way from the action, or how far back a few shots of decent tequila at a casino watering hole will set you.
The sportsbooks opened with Pacquiao as a solid favorite. Mexican passion should bring the odds down. Our book says Pacquiao should be about a three-to -one favorite. At those odds, until proven otherwise, you?ve almost always got to back a proven commodity like Morales.
If you?re betting money you can?t afford to lose, go with Pacquiao. He seems to have the strength and career momentum to move up in both weight and hoopla, but that?s definitely not the whole story here.
For Morales, ?Tiempo El Terrible? has finally come. Now it?s all or nothing. Most likely, Morales either puts himself back on top of the hill, or takes a forced tumble down to where he may never see the summit again.
No matter how dynamic a fighter Pacquiao may be, against Morales, at 130 pounds, the inches and seconds that determine the outcome will measured out in fractions. More than half of Pacquiao?s fights were at or under 115 pounds. Morales has never officially fought at under 120.
No fat for either, for years.
Something says there?s going to be a rematch. Morales?s name will be first on the poster.
Copyright 2005 ConanSports LLC
