LAS VEGAS — One of Erik Morales’ cornermen expressed confidence Saturday night’s super-featherweight bout between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will not go the distance.
“Erik (Morales) will knock out Manny Pacquiao,” said the beefy but short middle-aged training assistant.
But it was not the words that came out of his mouth that was worthy of a story.
It was the cut-throat gesture that stood out from a brief encounter shortly after Pacquiao and Morales successfully weighed in within the limit of 130 lbs at the Margaux Ballroom of the Wynn Las Vegas.
The Bulletin was actually trying to get a statement from Morales’ chief trainer Jose Luis Lopez Sr., but the man could not help but give a piece of his mind.
“Morales is going to win by knockout. He’s gonna knock Pacquiao out,” he said in halting English then made a slashing gesture that surprised the two scribes who were right in front of him.
Lopez was more cautious in the way he responded to the question fielded in elementary Spanish.
“Como esta Morales?” “Bien (Good),” answered Lopez.
Another major figure inside Team Morales, Fernando Beltran, shared Lopez’s sentiment. Known for his trash-talking ways, Beltran talked as though he had just finished a crashcourse in public speaking.
Beltran, who speaks fluent English, could not say how the fight is going to end, “but Morales will win.”
“His hand will be raised by the referee when it’s all over,” said Beltran before walking away clasping shopping bags.
