LAS VEGAS — If there’s one fighter who had hit him hard, real hard, Erik Morales said it definitely was not knockout star Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.
It was Junior Jones, Morales confided to a handful of media people at the end of the press conference for “The Battle” at the Wynn hotel-casino yesterday.
Morales did beat Jones, but only after the talented African-American boxer had sent El Terible to queer streets.
Jones, strong and stylish, was the same ring craftsman who had twice beaten World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, two-time conqueror of Morales.
“But what about Pacquiao, don’t you remember being hit big by him,” Morales was asked by a Mexican reporter.
“No, nada,” Morales mused while shaking his handsome head.
There were well-founded claims that Pacquiao had come close to decking Morales after the Mexican boxing icon opted to slug it out in the final round of their previous encounter.
But Morales coolly claimed not remembering any significant big punch from Pacquiao.
Morales also clarified that there had never been any trouble in his camp, despite the exit of his father as his trainer.
He said his father was not dumped; instead, the old man had to be relieved of the pressures after he was hospitalized twice.
Morales was reacting to reports in the Mexican media that he fired his father, who had charted him to three world championships.
The Mexican hero is seeing action after a loss to former US Olympian Zahir Raheem last September in a card where Pacquiao had earlier stopped Hector Velasquez also of Mexico.
Morales fought then as a lightweight (135 lb) and the Filipino as a super featherweight or junior lightweight (130) which is the weight limit for Saturday’s rematch.
