I will admit, I was very critical of the Morales vs. Pacquiao HBOPPV line up in the weeks leading up to the fight. Sure, Morales and Pacquiao were, and are, big names and the fight was still good as a main event. But since Morales was coming off of a terrible loss in his last fight, the least they could do was put up a decent undercard. On paper the undercard was dreadful. Martin Castillo was to make a ho-hum defense of his 115 pound belt, probably in a snoozer. The Kelly Pavlik vs. Jose Luis Zertuche did not interest me very much at all. This fight, that I was not very high on to begin with, got even worse. Pavlik pulled out due to injury. Two replacements were brought in, Fernando Zuniga and Anthony Thompson, and both pulled out due. That left fourth string reserve opponent Marcos Primera, who was 19-12-2, to fill the vacancy. 3rd rate journeymen have no business being on a PPV showdown.
The fight between Zeruche and Primera was bad as expected, but fans definitely got their money’s worthy if they bought this card and I did not expect that to be the case. The enthralling action of Castillo vs. Munoz and then Morales vs. Pacquiao II living up to the expectations made this HBOPPV worthwhile. The action was heart pounding and that is all that you can hope for when you spend money to watch a prizefight.
Martin Castillo went to war with Alexander Munoz after getting dropped early. That fight was engrossing with bludgeoning punches traded throughout the contest; something not characteristic of a Martin Castillo fight. Of course, the main attraction of the evening is the talk of boxing circles around the world. Pacquiao pulled off the stunning knockout of Erik Morales, securing his legacy as a great fighter. Morales and Pacquiao laid it all out on the line for their pride and it was a pleasure to watch them duke it out. This was perhaps even more entertaining than the first fight because of the shocking, conclusive result. The action was very competitive until Morales got tired and Manny started to rein terror down on his foe.
This win catapults Pacquiao into the top 3 of my pound for pound list, only behind Floyd Mayweather, JR. and possibly Winky Wright. Knocking out two legends, Morales and Barrera, is a remarkable achievement and you get the feeling that he is not done making history yet. His accomplishments are even more impressive considering that Manny is a former champion at 112 pounds and that he is probably fighting above his natural weight. Pacquiao has answered his critics that said he was one dimensional and has improved dramatically since losing to Morales just one year ago. Manny is in his prime and I would hate to be the next person to have to fight him.
Speaking of his next opponent, the two fights that are on everybody’s minds are rematches between the other two great Mexican featherweights, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. Barrera lost the first fight badly to Pacquiao, but the pound for pound elite and future hall of fame fighter has earned a right to avenge his loss. Manny forced him to fight at a pace that he was not comfortable with. Pacquiao had that firepower and stamina to force the issue, taking the Mexican completely out of his rhythm. With the ring intelligence and talent of Marco Antonio Barrera, you can be sure that he will attempt to make the proper adjustments in the rematch. You can never count Barrera out against anyone. He is a tremendous adversary if properly motivated. Barrera has successfully rebounded from his loss to Pacquiao and is now back to his former stature. This would be a clash between two of the best fighters of our generation at their best.
And of course there is unfinished business between Pac Man and Marquez. The two fought to a controversial draw in May of 2004. The result was controversial because one judge incorrectly scored the first round a 10-7 instead of a 10-6. If he had scored the round correctly then Pacquiao would have won a split decision. Personally, I have no problem with that fight being scored a draw. Pacquiao dropped Juan Manuel three times in the first, but from round 3 and on, Marquez soundly out boxed Manny. A draw on the scorecards was certainly not a travesty. Marquez is in need of a payday (he is making next to nothing for his next fight against Chris John) and there is a desire from fans to see this fight because of the unresolved nature of their first affair.
Both of these blockbuster follow up matches for Pacquiao will have to wait, at least for a little while. Both Marquez and Barrera are fighting in separate bouts in March. In the meantime Pac Man should enjoy this victory because it was a sweet one for him and for the Philippines.
