LAS VEGAS – With people nudging me from behind, each looking for a closer peek of the spectacle, I held my ground firmly along the red ropes right next to the podium where Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales were officially weighed in yesterday at the Wynn Resort Margaux ballroom.
Morales arrived the stage first. He looked awful. He was gaunt, appeared to be quite spent, and his eyes flickered with little signs of life.
Pacquiao came next. He was all smiles. He was happy and his eyes lit with exuberance as he surveyed the thick crowd of flag-waving Pinoys that came to support him.
And when Manny peeled his clothes, it revealed a ripped, muscle-bound physique that wowed even the most avid Morales fans.
Erik, who was whispered to be around 134 pounds just two days ago, hit the scales at an even 130 pounds. He avoided being fined for the excess poundage, but the shedding of weight through sweating and dehydration could take a dangerous toll come fight night.
Manny, meanwhile, weighed a fabulous 128 ? pounds. With no problems making the weight limit, Manny didn’t have to go through an arduous shedding process and his strength and physicality could be the difference-maker in the megabucks showdown.
But the sight of an ashen Morales still injects a fear in me. And here’s why. Last March 18, 2005, during the weigh-in of his first Pacquiao engagement, Morales tipped the scales at 131 pounds. He vanished for 30 minutes behind the curtains, where he sweat and spat and drained all fluids he could from out of his limp body.
When Erik was re-weighed, he was 130 pounds even. But by then, he had turned skeletal and weak. I remember saying, “Man, El Terrible looks terrible, he needs a doctor.”
The next day, however, El Terrible climbed the ring looking very healthy and plump. In the 30 hours since the weigh-in, Morales got the nourishment and liquids that he needed, ballooning to a sturdy 142 pounds.
Pacquiao was about 135 when the bell rang last March 19, and Morales’ extra weight was too much for the GenSan native.
And of course, wearing Winning gloves supposedly blunted a lot of the Manny’s power.
The same set of circumstances that surrounded Pacquiao-Morales I are creeping in the eve of the rematch. Morales appears weak, Manny looks stronger than Hercules.
But as far as the outcome is concerned, will it be deja vu all over again?
I hope not. I’d like to believe that Manny’s hard work since late November will bear the fruit of success. I have faith in him, as well as the improvements that have shored up his arsenal.
In his March 19, debacle, Manny (40-3-2, 31 knockouts) was a predictable one-dimensional pug who belted little beyond a meek jab and a deadly left. Today, though, I expect a PacMan to be just as hard-charging, only this time he will add versatility into the mix, throw some right hooks and right straights to befuddle Morales.
Trust me, Erik will be a tough customer. His chin is carved in granite and he has the stamina of a marathon runner (48-3-0, 34 KOs). The extra weight just makes Morales even more muy terrible.
So it now boils down to a classic showdown seen so many times atop the ring – size versus power. Youth (Manny is 27) versus experience (Morales is 29).
Pacquiao is faster than lightning. Morales is a lightweight masquerading as a super-featherweight. Morales’ calling card is a mean jab and a killer right cross. PacMan, on the other hand, has made his left hook a brand, and he throws them with the impunity of a perfect storm.
So, who’s eventually going to win?
No matter what the oddsmakers say, this one’s a toss-up. And for once, I’m keeping my big mouth shut.
