WILL IT be 10 oz gloves for Morales? IF Erik Morales fails to make the super-featherweight limit of 130 lbs, he will not only be made to cough out a hefty sum as penalty.
There should be more than that.
If rules are to be followed, Morales, who faces Manny Pacquiao in a rematch on Nov. 18 in LasVegas, should also be made to wear 10 oz gloves, instead of the lighter 8 oz gloves since he would officially be a lightweight fighter, and not a super-feeatherweight.
However, both camps are unsure whether this rule is applicable to Morales in the event he weighs more than 130 lbs on the eve of the scheduled 12-rounder penciled at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Last July, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) issued a ruling that will require boxers fighting in the lightweight class to wear 10 oz gloves as a precautionary measure instead of the standard 8 oz gloves after a spate of ring-related deaths in the lightweight class in the past.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach isn’t unsure if Morales will be mandated to wear the thicker gloves if he fails to make 130 lbs when contacted by the Bulletin on Wednesday.
What Roach is certain is the fine that Morales will be ordered to cough out assuming he comes in overweight.
Speaking from Los Angeles, Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez could not also make a categorical statement regarding the matter although he is fully aware of the NSAC ruling that boxers fighting in the lightweight category of 131 to 135 lbs must wear 10 oz gloves.
“I really don’t know (what’s agreed in the contract),” Jimenez said on Friday (Thursday in the US).
Meanwhile, Jimenez revealed that Pacquiao and Morales are going to hold their respective pep rallies in Los Angeles on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14.
“Morales will leave Otomi for Los Angeles on Nov. 13 and he will hold a rally the next day,” said Jimenez, noting that Morales will proceed to the city of Toluca for the plane ride to Los Angeles.
“It’s about 45 minutes from Otomi to the airport in Toluca where a private plane awaits Morales (for the journey to Los Angeles),” said Jimenez.
Jimenez said Pacquiao will be the first one to hold a rally with an appearance in areas where there is a large concentration of Filipino residents.
Morales will also be brought to places where there is a huge Mexican population to drum up more interest in the rubber match.
Pacquiao and Morales are expected to arrive in Las Vegas on Nov. 14. The press conference is tentatively set for Nov. 16 and the official weigh-in on Nov. 17.
