MANNY PACQUIAO will not take things lightly as far as his rematch with Erik Morales is concerned, according to the Filipino boxing hero on his website mannypacquiao.ph.
Despite Morales’ unanimous decision defeat to former American Olympian Zahir Raheem, Pacquiao said he would train harder than before to get back at the Mexican in their rich January grudge return bout.
“I will prepare harder this time for Morales,” Pacquiao said. “I will get back at him. That’s why I will train for no less than two months for our rematch.”
Both fighters are guaranteed a purse of $1.75 million in their Jan. 21 pay-per-view fight, a deal sealed even before Morales took that stinging upset loss to the American in the “Double Trouble” card that also had Pacquiao stopping Hector Velasquez in the sixth round Sunday.
The venue for Pacquiao-Morales II has not been determined.
Morales, who pounded out a unanimous decision victory over the Filipino the first time they clashed last March, was outclassed by Raheem in his first fight as a lightweight.
The rematch is set at the super featherweight class (130 lb), which is Pacquiao’s new division. Morales, who fought Raheem at 134 lb, has to get down to the Filipino’s weight class for their second encounter.
Morales is expected to be a slight underdog in the second fight, but the Mexican has shown a great ability to bounce back from a loss.
He also lost by unanimous decision to fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera before proving his worth again with a masterful conquest of Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, the 27-year-old native of General Santos City, overcame a slow start before getting through the defense of Velasquez with jabs and combinations in their scheduled 12-round bout.
He went for the kill in the sixth, dropping the Mexican to his knees with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to stop the fight.
“I started carefully because I did not want to get a headbutt,” explained Pacquiao, who was hampered by a nasty wound over his right eye in his first meeting with Morales.
