While Erik Morales’ promoter and manager (Bob Arum and Fernando Beltran) are well known, his trainer Jose Morales (who is also Erik’s father) prefers to keep a low profile. On Thursday Fightnews.com spoke to a surprisingly candid Jose Morales to get his take on Saturday’s Morales-Pacquiao clash.
On the Winning gloves issue: The gloves are the same. Each guy is going to wear the same pair of gloves and that’s not a problem. Erik started to wearing Winning Gloves because in one fight, here in Vegas, they wouldn’t let him wrap like he usually wraps in Mexico, so they made him do a different wrap here, and Erik hurt his hand wearing those Reyes aloves when he fought Acero Sanchez. And ever since they decided to go to Winning because they have more padding in them so that it helps him.
On talk from an early stoppage from the Pacquiao camp: All I can tell you is remember, Erik’s never been knocked down with a punch in all his career. If it happens Saturday night, I’ll be the most surprised person and I’ll even lift Pacquiao’s hand.
On the bickering inside the Pacquiao camp: I think if you have some kind of dissension like that, the fighter’s going to be more focused on what he wants to do, depending on whose side he’s on. If he’s siding with the trainer or he’s siding with the promoter, I think he’ll want to show who’s backing him more. He wants to show the same level of respect, I guess. But Pacquiao shouldn’t be worried about what’s going on in his camp, he should be worried about Erik right now.
On this being Erik Morales first major fight as an underdog: I go back to his first when he started his career, Erik’s first fight, we put him in with a guy who was 16-2. His very first fight. He was an underdog that first fight. Nobody thought he was good, he was too young, he was inexperienced, but if you look back and compare who he’s fought over the last few years, and compare it to who Pacquiao has fought over the last few years, there’s no comparison.
On where Morales is in his career: I think that Erik is getting at the stage of his career where this is it. A few more big fights. He’s actually probably gone a little too long with some of these fights. He’s fought a lot of rounds over the last three or four fights. He’s gotten hurt by some of those shots that he took behind the head from Barrera. And he doesn’t need to take those shots. He’s already done a lot with his career and I think we’re looking to do a few more fights.
His prediction: I think that Erik’s going to win by a KO or a decision. There’s no question in my mind. I’ve watched a lot of Pacquiao’s fights, he’s not a dirty fighter at all. I respect that he’s going to come with a clean fight. I think everyone’s going to enjoy it, because it’s going to be be two guys, between two clean fighters, two gentlemen inside the ring.
