Fresh from defeating Mexican slugger Oscar Larios, Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao said he is targeting another goal: to end Erik Morales’ boxing career on their November 18 rematch in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao said he will start training in August to ensure a repeat of his January 21 victory over the Mexican boxing champ.
He said he will train in the Philippines for 45 days before going to the United States with coach Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao and Morales first met in the ring on March 19, 2005, with Morales defeating the Filipino boxer by using his size and reach advantage.
Less than a year later, the Filipino boxing icon avenged the loss by knocking out the Mexican on the 10th round of their Jan. 21, 2006 match in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao said that after Morales, he will try another rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera, the reigning World Boxing Council super featherweight champion. The Filipino defeated Barrera in a non-title bout two years ago.
Pacquiao refused to give a date for the fight, adding that Barrera is scheduled for another fight in September.
Prolonging the fight
In an interview with DZMM, Pacquiao said he went easy on “Chololo” Larios so that Filipinos would enjoy the 12-round bout at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
“It’s part of [the plan] so that Filipinos would enjoy,” Pacquiao told DZMM when asked if he really forced the fight to last until the 12th round.
“If I pressured [Larios] and really hammered him it would not reach the twelfth round,” he added.
Pacquio said even his coach did not know of his plan. Roach earlier predicted a Pacquiao knockout in six rounds.
The boxing champ, who floored Larios twice in the seventh and last round, also pooh-poohed Larios’ punching power after enduring a flurry of blows from the Mexican in the third round of the match.
He said he controlled the tempo of the fight for the easy win.
Pacquiao gets second congressional medal
Pacquiao is set to receive the Congressional Medal of Achievement award for the second time after his win.
The Filipino boxing champion will receive the award from President Arroyo during her state of the nation address on July 24. The medal is the highest award given by Congress to Filipino achievers.
Pacquiao is the only athlete to receive the medal twice.
