From the looks of it, the third?and perhaps final?match between celebrated ring warriors Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will push through.
Morales on Saturday told a boxing website that “it is very clear” that the only thing on his mind was another fight with Pacquiao, who gave the Mexican pug his worst beating en route to a 10th-round technical knockout win last January 26 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Morales was responding to an announcement made by Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions that he would be fighting in his country.
“My next fight will be against Pacquiao in the United States. If anyone is saying different, they would be lying,” he said.
“With all due respect to Mr. Gomez, he is not my promoter. My promoter is Top Rank and they are the ones who decide my bouts,” added Morales from his office in Tijuana, Mexico.
At the press briefing at the Manila Hotel announcing Pacquiao?s next fight, Shelly Finkel, the Filipino fighter?s manager, said he would press the Morales camp for a deadline if the third match would go on as provided for in their contract.
Morales had earlier said he would only fight “PacMan” above 130 pounds, citing the weakness he had in making the weight for his lopsided loss against the Filipino boxer the last time they met.
But Team Pacquiao has been adamant that the contract provides that they fight at the same weight?or else they would consider other options, including the offer by Marco Antonio Barrera to risk his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown against Pacquiao.
Finkel said with his ward fighting Oscar Larios on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum, Pacquiao?s next fight would most likely be in November.
“I?ll fight whenever Top Rank tells me. All I?m waiting for is the exact date from them so I get ready for the rubber match with Pacquiao,” said Morales, who is devoting his time to his family after his wife recently gave birth to their first child.
“A third Pacquiao fight is the only thing on my mind, and I would suggest to Mr. Gomez and his company that they should worry about their fighters and stay out of my business,” he said.
