LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao (pronounced Pack-key-ow) is “fast, fast, fast and gets out of the gate quickly to charge at his opponent in a hell-bent-for-leather manner. He moves in behind a sharp right jab, often doubling it up, then follows with a powerful left — including hooks and uppercuts — which, in range, tend to be effective. He possesses bottomless energies, enabling him to maintain his windmill-like attack throughout.”
Erik Morales?
El Terrible “possesses an excellent and hard left jab and a long, hard right cross. Coupled with his height advantage and excellent counter-punching abilities, he could convert these plusses into an advantage over the shorter Pacquiao, who tends to leave himself open. He has a set of tough whiskers, proven in the 12th round of his first fight with Pacquiao, when he gave as much as he got.”
Those sharp points, mind you, are not from a pot-bellied armchair analyst. They were from Bert Randolph Sugar, author of “Boxing’s Greatest Fighters” (published by Barnes & Noble and Amazon.Com) and distributed to members of the foreign media in yesterday’s press conference at the Mouton Ballroom in Wynn Las Vegas.
The same pamphlet detailed what each fighter must do to win.
PACQUIAO: Must move more — here he promises a “surprise” — staying on top and forcing Morales backwards, against the ropes, into corners; must keep his hands up to thwart counters and move into range behind his right jab; must draw Morales into a slugfest, as he did in the 12th round of their first fight when he staggered him; must add movement and a right hook to his arsenal.
MORALES: Must put to good use his advantage in height; use his longer (and straighter) left jab to maintain control as he did in the middle rounds of the first match; must move on Pacquiao who has trouble with movement, keeping the bout at long range, at mid-ring, not back into the ropes; cannot afford to engage in a slugging match; must fight a disciplined fight, continually turning Pacquiao, countering and moving; must keep Pacquiao off-balanced.
Meanwhile, odds at the sports book at Wynn Las Vegas, main sponsor of “The Battle,” have remained even at the close of betting hours yesterday; no significant shift since Monday.
There’s a prevailing feeling the fight won’t go the full 12 rounds.
