We have a fight of some considerable stature this Saturday night. Manny Pacquiao and Eric Morales will reprise their thriller of last March in what is billed as “The Battle.” Morales’ disappointing showing against Raheem last September doesn’t seem to have diminished the anticipation of the fight, and it is an important fight for both men.
Both men have legions of fans, the Filipino Pacquiao and the Mexican Morales heroes to their countrymen, and a large U.S fan base as well.
Morales, who has had a series of tough fights, is 29, and may be showing the wear and tear of his wars based on the Raheem fight, and has now lost two of his last three. He may also be battling weight for this fight, although Shaw says that there are penalty clauses for every pound that he is over.
“I have nothing to believe right now but that he’ll be on weight,” Shaw said.
Although the fight is being billed as a WBC super featherweight eliminator for Barrera’s title, Morales’ motivation is redemption. Morales is the bigger, better technical boxer, with an iron chin and an indomitable will to win.
Pacquiao has the advantage in the speed department, which seemed to be the deciding factor of the Morales defeat to Raheem. And while some have made the case that Morales is as strong a puncher as the Pac-Man, Eric has not scored a KO since 2003, and hasn’t had the same whack to his punches as a super featherweight that he had at 126. Pacquiao, too, would probably be more effective at featherweight. But if Manny can take his right hand out of cold storage, as he did against journeyman Hector Velazquez last September, he should have the edge in power.
Pacquiao wins the battle of the intangibles , too. He’s happy with his new promoter Shaw, ending the distractions that came with his former promoter, Murad Muhammad. Also, Manny gets to wear his preferred Reyes gloves that were written out of the contract on their first go. The gloves may or may not make Manny a better puncher, but he thinks so and that should add to his confidence.
Meanwhile, Morales has replaced his father, Jose, as trainer with Jose Luis Lopez, after the debacle with Zahir Raheem. No matter what spin they put on it, calling it a natural step in his evolution as a fighter, that type of move is far from a vote of confidence in his career progress. Taking on Pacquiao without knowing how the change will affect his performance could be risky.
