It came as a surprise. Here was this unbeatable force, who had stopped Marco Antonio Barrera in his tracks, and sent the Featherweight champion to the canvas three times in the opening round of their battle. People everywhere now wanted to get a glimpse of this global phenom.
On March 19, 2005, before a sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao hit a speedbump. An aging Mexican named Erik Morales took Pacquiao to another level, using ring-skills, brawling-skills, and an incredible beard to pull out a unanimous decision.
His people argued that he was at a disadvantage because the gloves (Winning Boxing Gloves) did not favor him. Whatever the case, Pacquiao managed to do a good enough job against the crafty Morales, that a rematch was definitely in order.
Several things happened during the fight that affected Pacquiao. Aside from the Glove issue, Pacquiao had to deal with a serious cut that developed above his right eye following an unintentional headbutt in the fifth round, which was ruled by Referee Joe Cortez to be caused by a punch. After the round, you could hear members of Pacquiao’s team shouting in the corner, which drew a look of concern on the face of the Filipino. You could then hear trainer Freddie Roach trying to control the situation by shouting to whoever was screaming, “Calm Down … CALM DOWN!!!”
Roach agrees that the cut took Pacquiao completely out of his gameplan, saying, “It took him about four rounds to get back in focus.”
Pacquiao was within one round of a draw at the end. All three judges scored it identical, 115-113, in favor of Morales. Pacquiao was gracious in defeat, and moved on.
Both fighters would later share the bill, when they were co-featured at Staples Center in Los Angeles, as “Double Trouble”. Pacquiao would do his part, stopping a game Hector Velasquez in six rounds, but Morales would struggle, losing a twelve round unanimous decision to Zahir Raheem.
Nonetheless, the rematch had to be made, partly because Pacquiao needs redemption. He wants to avenge the loss to Morales, “more than anything else.”
Even though Morales struggled to make weight in his fight against Raheem, Roach is expecting Morales to be at his very best, saying, “We would be fools to expect him to [not] be at his best.”
Pacquiao’s new promoter, Gary Shaw, is expecting a fight similar to the first, with a different ending. “This fight will be no different than the last fight, other than the outcome.”
Pacquiao has had a much smoother training camp than he’s had in the past. His popularity often led to hordes of fans flocking to the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, to meet and greet their icon, which Roach believes distracted his fighter. “It’s hard to get his attention,” said Roach. “He would be performing for his fans, instead of listening to me.”
Roach is confident that Manny has what it takes to conquer Morales, and he truly believes he was close to beating him the first time around. “Manny was getting anxious,” said Roach. “He got a little left-hand happy. We will be much more comfortable with the gloves we choose.”
Part of what makes Manny Pacquiao so exciting is his willingness to trade shots, even if its not in the gameplan; and that’s something Roach has come to accept. “The exchanges will happen,” said Roach. “That’s just Manny’s personality.”
Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will square-off in a one of the most anticipated rematches of the New Year on January 21, 2006, from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The fight will be televised on HBO PPV beginning at 9:00 ET/ 6:00PT.
