Not surprisingly, there has been an amazing reaction amongst his countrymen – both in the boxing press and amongst Filipino fight fans – to Manny Pacquiao’s destruction of Erik Morales Saturday night in Las Vegas. It was exactly what boxing needed, as Pacquiao looked devastating and Morales, though going down in defeat, fought like the warrior he is. Many Filipinos were rejoicing early Sunday afternoon says the China Peoples Daily. The ones that weren’t busy rejoicing, I believe, were in a gloating mood and were busy emailing our own Matt Aguilar, who had suggested Pacman’s career might be on the downslide. All I can say is that I hope Matt has a lot of storage space allocated for his email inbox, because the incoming was coming in fast and furious over the last 24 hours. Good luck answering all those emails, Matt. (And to anybody else who is thinking of emailing Matt on this topic, I don’t think it’s necessary … I’m sure he gets the idea.)
The question being asked by the boxing fans I talked to last night was whether it was a case of Pacquiao being that good or Morales being on the decline and not quite the fighter he once was. On Saturday night’s evidence, I think you have to say it was a bit of both. Morales may have struggled to make weight as he suggested, and there can be little doubt that the many wars he has been in must have taken their toll. But make no mistake, this was a different Manny Pacquiao that Erik Morales faced on Saturday night. Pacquiao employed better defense, mixed in the right hand with his straight left and even appeared in better shape than in the first bout. Pacquiao looked nothing short of sensational after the fifth round. Freddie Roach said it was a matter of both he and the Pacman learning from past mistakes.
As regards Erik Moales, Ron Borges in the Boston Globe sums it up: it was not simply Pacquiao who defeated Morales. It was also Marco Antonio Barrera and Jesus Chavez and Injin Chi and Wayne McCullough and Daniel Zaragoza and countless lesser-known fighters whose punches Morales had accepted in exchange for the right to land the bombs that had won him 48 of his previous 51 fights. But that style, a warrior’s style, so exciting and revered by Mexican fight fans, is unforgiving. Morales’s demise Saturday was a reminder to everyone in the crowd of 14,618 that warriors usually end up bloody and beaten if they compete for too long. This does not take anything away from Pacquiao’s victory, but merely puts it in proper perspective. Wherever Morales chooses to go from here, there is no doubt he is one of this generation’s greatest fighters. In an era where a lot of big name boxers have to be coaxed into taking a tough fight, Morales never ducked anyone.
