MANNY PACQUIAO is more than willing to square off with Erik Morales for the third time in September, but it will have to be at the agreed weight of 130 lbs.
Informed about the much-awaited rubber match that Top Rank has already announced, Pacquiao told the Bulletin yesterday that it will have to be at 130, not at 132 lbs.
“Humahanap sila ng paraan (para makabawi sa akin),” Pacquiao said yesterday after attending Sunday services in his native General Santos City.
“Ano sila, hilo?” added Pacquiao, who mauled Morales so bad in their rematch last Jan. 19 that ringsiders thought the Mexican would soon announce his retirement.
Even one of Pacquiao trusted training assistant, Buboy Fernandez, insists that if there’ll be a third fight, it should be at 130 lbs.
“Huwag kang papayag na hindi 130 and laban,” Fernandez whispered to Pacquiao’s while they were preparing to heads back to Manila from Los Angeles. Top Rank president Bob Arum had floated the idea that the agreed weight for the third fight would be at 132 lbs since Morales is no longer comfortable making that weight.
Now that Pacquiao, 27, has expressed his thoughts regarding the weighty issue, his US handlers will have to perform extraordinary convincing powers to compel him to sign above the dotted line.
But Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach is of the opinion that the Filipino would still emerge victorious even if the agreed weight for the bout would be at 132.
In the event a third fight takes place, it would be much easier for Pacquiao although he admits that Morales will be “dangerous” in the first three rounds.
“We’ll be able to break him (Morales) faster this time,” said Roach. “Manny would still be strong at this weight.”
“Erik believes that he trained wrong and did the wrong thing in training, and that if he corrects that, and if he is able to keep his legs for the 12 rounds, he will win the fight,” Arum told boxing scribe Matthew Aguilar of the El Paso Times on Friday. “In the early rounds, he was winning the fight. And his legs gave out. And I really believe in Erik. I believe that if he trains right, and gets the weight off before he goes to camp, then he’ll be fine,” added Arum, who plans to stage the overweight clash on Sept. 16.
