LAS VEGAS- I finally saw Erik Morales yesterday. Good-looking dude with charcoal black hair and thick eyebrows. If he had problems making the weight limit as many reports say, no such evidence surfaced to prove that notion in yesterday’s official weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Morales, 5-foot-8 and 28-years-old, tipped the scales at a sharp 130 pounds. The whispered fat hanging around his belly also proved false. What I saw was the sculpted physique of a rare specimen ready to leak blood, sweat and tears atop the ring.
Erik looked scary in the sense that while his arms and biceps were relatively thin, his fists were a massive 10 inches in diameter. Imagine two of those fists smack PacMan in the face in succession and you’re looking at a car wreck.
But Pacquiao, 5-6 and 26 years young, looked even better. And he was scarier, too.
If you want to know how much a national treasure weighs, the answer is 129 ?lbs. Not only was Manny rip, has was also hip, hugging the flashbulbs with the zeal of a man romancing the woman of his dreams.
Unlike Morales, Manny has more defined biceps and forearms. He also has more muscled calves, which give him a thicker base against the spindly Mexican from Tijuana. Manny’s fists also measure 10 inches in diameter.
Imagine those fists hit Morales in a violent flurry and you’re looking at a funeral.
Even before I arrived here for the fight, I’ve done extensive research on both fighters, their styles, strengths and weaknesses, what have you. Statistics are helpful tools to a columnist like me, who is now about to make a prediction on a mega fight.
But sometimes, stats don’t really help. They’re like a woman’s bathing suit – it reveals as much as it conceals. Having said that, I’m basing my forecast solely on the factor of confidence.
I don’t know if there was a rage lurking within him, waiting to explode. But the Morales I saw yesterday was a pug intimidated by the presence of his enemy. He was shy, if not distant, and he barely looked straight. He is clearly holding back, which is not so say he is afraid. Just wary, perhaps.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, couldn’t wait for the bell to ring. He was swaying to the chants cheering his name, flexing his muscles beside Morales, and wearing the perpetual grin of a man who understands something good is coming.
Manny has never been hit by someone like Morales, who packs 130lbs. Erik’s fans insist that Manny couldn’t handle such loaded hit. But then again, Erik has never been hit by the sledgehammer that PacMan wields.
Morales has a tough defense and has the patience of a monk. But he can also be goaded into a brawl. And the moment Morales engages Manny in a free-for-all, there will be hell to pay.
Pacquiao wins in eight, by TKO.
HOMER AT LA TIMES. My good friend, boxing writer Steve Springer interviewed me yesterday. And that interview appeared in today’s edition of the Los Angeles Times, which can be accessed in the Internet through latimes.com.
In Springers’ Pacquiao feature entitled “From doughnuts to dollars,” part of the write-up carried my quote: ‘”For something like this, our nation stands still,” said Homer Sayson, a columnist for Sun.Star Cebu.
‘”We are having hard times in our country. There is terrorism. There is poverty. There are kidnappings everyday. We find solace in Manny Pacquiao.”‘
Sun.Star Cebu has just gone international, as if it hadn’t yet already, what with four NBA Finals and multiple world championship coverages under our belt. To my peers in the sports desk, take a bow.
SHORT PUNCHES.Lawyer Adelino Sitoy, upon learning that I raise funds for my coverages, donated a small fortune for my trip here in Las Vegas. Known both for his brilliance in law and his generosity, the University of Cebu’s dean of the College of Law wanted to keep his “donation” private.
Sorry, Atty. Sitoy, good deeds such as yours deserve to be heralded. Thanks for helping make my Pacquiao-Morales coverage possible.
I tried interviewing Manny yesterday, but doing that was harder than swimming the English Channel. So many layers of security, so many hangers-on. Maybe after the fight.
Finally, I’d like to congratulate Sande Cabigon on his high-school graduation yesterday at the University of Southern Philippines. Sandre is the son of LA-based Juvie Cabigon, my City Hall collaborator in a past life. Juvie is here for the Pacquiao fight.
Kristel Ann Cabigon Ca?ares, a USC college of nursing product, will graduate magna cum laude on April 11. Kristel is the cherished daughter of Doris, Juvie’s sister. Way to go, Kristel!
After you nail that CGFNS exam, Kristel, drop by Chicago where I have four Bulls tickets waiting for you. See ya!
