Pac Man, 39-3-2, 30 ko’s has El Terrible on his mind, but he must first dispose of veteran Velazquez, 42-10-2, 31 ko’s.
Distractions aside (wrong gloves, unfocused training camp, crammed living quarters in Las Vegas), Erik Morales was the better man last March. The orthodox Morales outjabbed the southpaw Manny, landed the harder punches and basically dictated the pace of the fight. Manny did put up some decent numbers, landing 217 total punches (265 for Morales) and averaging 75 punches per round. He also had a 183-169 edge in power connects, landing 34%. Morales’ jab allowed him to land 41% of his power shots and his granite chin absorbed Manny’s best shots. Heck, Morales even turned southpaw in the last round and slugged with Manny to punctuate his close, yet convincing win. A nasty gash over Manny’s right eye that occurred midway through the fight didn’t help matters, but it also didn’t stop Pac Man from fighting until the finish as he threw 87 punches in round 11 and 99 in the 12th.
Pac Man nearly devoured Juan Manuel Marquez in the first round of their May ’04 featherweight title fight. He dropped Marquez three times in the first two minutes. Two judges correctly scored the round 10-6. The other, not aware one can score a round 10-6, scored it 10-7- costing Manny a majority decision win.
For complete column, go to CompuBox Analysis.
