ERIK MORALES’ training shifts to another gear with the arrival this weekend of two sparring partners, Colombian Oscar Leon and Betillo Gutierrez, in his high-altitude training camp in the mountains of Otomi outside of Mexico City.
The Mexican media also reported that Morales is starting to get accustomed to the Mexican-made Cleto Reyes in anticipation of a hard-fought battle with Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 18 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Morales used the Japanese brand Winning in his first two fights with Pacquiao because those gloves are preferred by boxers with brittle hands, but he will likely wear the Cleto Reyes in their rubber match.
Heavy punchers like Pacquiao prefers the Cleto Reyes gloves.
“My training is going on as planned,” Morales said in the website he owns, box-latino.com.
Morales, who many ringsiders believed will no longer return to the ring after absorbing a brutal tenth-round knockout to Pacquiao early this year, has been working out with long-time sparmate “Wary” Beltran.
His training team is led by his father and long-time strategist Jose “Olivaritos” Morales, cornermen Fernando Fernandez, Jorge Quezada, Refugio Tizcareno, Osvaldo Alvarado, doctor Roman Cruz and South African Jon Park and Swede Jorgen Persson, staffers from the Velocity Sports Performance in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach will skip the Filipino’s Saturday workout as he will be calling the shots when Peter Manfredo Jr. of The Contender fame sees action in Providence, Rhode Island.
“I will be back shortly afterwards,” Roach told the Bulletin yesterday after presiding over another intense workout with the Filipino southpaw at the Wild Card Boxing Club.
“Manny still has a bit of cold but he is working very hard,” said Roach, who theorized that Pacquiao might have contracted it from the flu-stricken Filipino lawyer Franklin Gacal, who stays with the fighter at The Palazzo in the trendy area of La Brea in Los Angeles.
“Buboy (Fernandez) will be in charge (on the day when I am not around),” added Roach, referring to Pacquiao’s bosom buddy, who is a Roach disciple.
