Manny Pacquiao has watched film of Erik Morales in action. But ask him if he has seen anything that will help him tonight when he fights Morales, and he says, “Yes, but I don’t think I want to comment on that.’ Ask Pacquiao why he was unable to stop Juan Manuel Marquez last May after dropping him three times in the first round, eventually managing only a draw and missing a chance to take Marquez’s two featherweight belts, and Pacquiao is equally evasive.
“I don’t want to think about the past,’ he said. “I believe I won that fight, but I just chalk it up to experience.’
Pacquiao, however, does not hesitate when asked if he is ready for Morales. The two will square off in the main event at the MGM Grand. Their super featherweight fight is scheduled for 12 rounds. The card will be available on HBO pay-per-view, beginning at 6 p.m.
“This is my longest preparation three months,’ said Pacquiao, 26, of the Philippines. “We worked a lot for this fight. I am really prepared.’
This is Pacquiao’s first fight at 130 pounds. He has won world championships in the flyweight and super bantamweight divisions. His biggest victory was an 11th-round technical knockout of Marco Antonio Barrera for the people’s featherweight championship in November 2003.
Although there are no actual titles on the line tonight, promoters are billing it as a world title fight.
There are at least two questions that figure to be answered in this one. Can Pacquiao, who is 39-2-2 with 30 knockouts, bring his power up to yet another weight class after starting his professional career 10 years ago as a 106-pound strawweight?
And, can Morales (47-2, 34 KOs) step up to the plate in what for him is a crossroads fight? Coming off a narrow defeat to Barrera last November, Morales has said that he can ill-afford to lose two in a row.
“Obviously, I hope he doesn’t bring his power to 130, but we have to find that out in the ring,’ said Morales, who has won world titles in the super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight divisions and is 17-2 in championship bouts.
Whereas it has been difficult to gauge exactly how Pacquiao feels about Morales and his talents, Morales has nothing but tremendous things to say about Pacquiao’s ability to take apart an opponent in dramatic fashion.
“He is really a warrior in the ring,’ said Morales, 28, of Tijuana. “He comes to fight. It’s going to be a very tough fight. He’s got a lot of speed and seems very strong.’
Pacquiao is a southpaw, meaning Morales has been sparring with southpaws in preparation. One of them is Steven Luevano, an undefeated top 10 fighter from La Puente.
“He is very fast and very intelligent,’ Morales said of Luevano. “He really helped me a lot.’
But if Pacquiao does bring his power to this weight, sparring with the likes of Luevano helps only so much, as Luevano does not possess the natural power of Pacquiao.
“That’s why you prepare yourself, get yourself in condition so you can take the punishment over 12 rounds,’ Morales said.
Morales on Friday weighed in at 130 pounds. Pacquiao came in at 129 1/2. True to form, Pacquiao had this response when asked about his strategy: “Stick to the game plan.’
Pacquiao may not want to share much information regarding his plan of attack, but his trainer, Freddie Roach, has made it clear that he wants Pacquiao to make Morales work every second of every round, as he did with Barrera.
Martin Castillo, a terrific fighter from Mexico City, will put his World Boxing Association super flyweight title on the line against Eric Morel of Puerto Rico on the undercard.
Castillo, 27, is 27-1 with 16 knockouts. Morel, 26, is 34-1 with 18 knockouts.
Also, Jorge Arce (38-3-1, 28 KOs) of Mexico will take on Hussein Hussein (26-1, 20 KOs) of Australia in a 12-round World Boxing Council flyweight elimination bout.
And Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (16-0, 11 KOs) of Mexico will square off with Ryan Maraldo (19-15-1, 5 KOs) of Indianapolis, Ind., in a six-round lightweight fight. Robert Morales can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2213, or by e-mail at [email protected] .
