LAS VEGAS, Nevada, United States of America — The big winners at the sports book windows after last night’s fight were the bold few who picked the Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao showdown to last the distance.
There were overwhelming bets that Pacquiao would crush Morales inside six rounds.
A check with the MGM Grand counter last night showed those who chose Morales to last the distance ended up doubling their money.
What’s being asked among Mexican celebrants at the frenzied hotel lobbies here was: Who ever sold the idea that Morales could not withstand Pacquiao?
Losers could only blame themselves.
Because, Mexicans can now claim that Pacquiao was not really that smart and strong to stop Morales.
In fact, the showdown at the Grand Garden Arena helped confirm the greatness of Morales, who has never been stopped in 50 fights, including the last one against Pacquiao.
Morales was not only more skillful, he was masterful.
Pacquiao indeed packed the big punches, but these were expertly blunted by the sharp, sly Mexican hero who used his experience to the fullest.
Or, as Pacquiao had also landed several jarring punches, Morales either digested or rolled with the big blows.
Now, Mexicans, who themselves had hesitated to put a bet on their countryman, swear the hype made about Pacquiao’s blazing killer fists kept them away from the betting windows here.
This was the reason why, despite great expectations about the influx of Mexican bets for Morales on the eve of the encounter, Pacquiao had remained the outstanding favorite on fight day.
“As it would turn out, Pacquiao is all sound, no fury,” swore a bearded paisano, who swigged a victory beer in front of the overcrowded Studio 54 club inside the MGM Grand grounds.
Everybody around here could only speculate in awe when it was bruited about that Pacquiao would be showing up armed with the Manila Ice in his monumental showdown with Morales.
The Pacquiao weapon, supposedly perfected to clip and freeze Morales, was neither felt nor seen inside the fight ring last night.
Meanwhile, during the pre-fight press conference, Morales’ manager, Fernando Beltran, lost his cool and chastised Team Pacquiao for bragging that “Morales would fall in one round, in two rounds, 10 rounds, whatever.”
He even dared Murad Muhammad to a $100,000 bet during the presscon.
Pacquiao was also called a quitter by Beltran during that pre-fight encounter.
Nobody took the Beltran dare to the big bet.
But last night, it was the turn of the Morales camp to say that Pacquiao’s might were all imagined.
They were saying the fear of Pacquiao had loomed because of non-stop big talk.
One of those hypes claimed Pacquiao would come out firing like a gun.
It added Morales would be too old and slow to respond to the Pacquiao explosion.
Meanwhile, Morales quietly responded that he also knew of some Pacquiao weaknesses.
Fittingly, Morales did not bare what these weak points of the Filipino star were.
Until last night, Morales had failed to pinpoint these soggy areas in Pacquiao.
For their part, many of the celebrating Mexicans here, mostly the ones who know their boxing, swear big fights are not won with big sounds and empty claims.
Morales’ only secret, they say, is sticking it up to reality.
