12 DAYS of coverage of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales trilogy
ROUND 4
TigerBoxing celebrates 12 days of coverage of the thrilling trilogy between champions Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. Let’s flashback to the days after the March 19, 2005 contest which saw Erik Morales’ thrilling 12 round victory over the bloody but determined Manny Pacquiao ?
PACMAN, MORALES, BARRERA AND MORE
Matthew Sanderson
03/31/2005 – United Kingdom
[Originally published on March 31, 2005]
Yes, Morales-Pacquiao was a great fight – Fight of the Year, probably, even though we’re not even out of March yet.
Yes, Erik Morales is a great fighter – he?s beaten every opponent he?s ever faced, has been through some tremendous fights, and has a list of scalps more impressive than Jose Luis Castillo?s, or anyone else?s for that matter.
Hector Acero-Sanchez, Jose Luis Bueno, Wayne McCullough, In Jin Chi, Guty Espadas, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Paulie Ayala, Kevin Kelley?And if he?s down at 1-2 against great rival Barrera, he beat two excellent fighters that Marco couldn?t beat – Junior Jones and of course Pacquiao. Add to that list the remarkable Daniel Zaragoza, and we don?t need to blow ?El Terrible?s? trumpet.
All of the above goes without saying, but I don?t know if I want to see Morales-Pacquiao II just yet, and I have no desire to see Barrera-Morales IV ever. Why, you ask? Let?s start with Morales and Manny.
Erik fought one of the very best fights of his career, but Manny needs to do some regrouping. He will need time off anyhow should he heed his doctors’ advice, to undergo corrective plastic surgery for a gash suffered in round five of that fight he would have lost anyway. Not only that, he also needs to make serious adjustments to his game.
No one below lightweight has a shot at stopping Morales, so Pacquiao needs to learn to pace himself and to sharpen up technically. He doesn?t seem able to beat an elite operator unless he inflicts serious damage in the first half of the fight. He?s never won a 12 round distance fight, which he would need to do to beat ?Terrible?. If he can’t do this, how can he do any better?
I?ll never dismiss Manny as a front-runner again, but his style depends upon dominating opponents physically. Morales will always be trouble, because his game is all about payback. Erik has a huge psychological advantage, because he showed Manny that he could take his best and then always answer with something better. How high will Manny?s confidence be against a man who dominated him in the late rounds and thrashed him around the ring?
A rematch has limited appeal for Erik. Of course, he’ll make a packet, but why go over old ground when there’s so many good fighters at super feather, or shoot for all time great status by beating a lightweight champion? Pac fans of course need to see their boy win a return, but he doesn’t quite seem equipped. If Manny loses, he’s 1-1-2 in his last four fights. There are plenty of guys he can overwhelm back down at 126, and he can improve his craft before they rumble again…
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Back to Barrera and Morales. Although Erik got the better of the second fight, Marco?s superior boxing skills would always give him the slight edge. He’s the more talented, a master boxer, whereas Erik has that extra hardness necessary to cope with the Mannys of the world. If Morales loses, he’s 1-3 against his nemesis. If Barrera loses, he’s no longer ahead in the series. As far as I’m concerned, if I want to watch them fight again, I’ll get out my DVDs of the first and third fights. What if part four turned out to be a let down, like the second fight?
Barrera and Morales are two extraordinary fighters. We’ve seen all the variations on their theme, and part IV would be like watching GODFATHER 4. Repetition can only get you so far, like all those Hollywood remakes, sequels, comic book rip-offs, etc. How about some imagination? Let’s see if Barrera can do better against Pacquiao, let’s see if Morales can beat Jesus Chavez with two good arms. There’s plenty of business to take care of without falling into simulacrum. Plenty.
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Let?s cut the excuses about pillows ? which aren’t even worth discussing ? and head clashes, which mar a wonderful contest. Manny was unlucky to receive the cut that bled into the right eye, but his main problem was the Morales right hand, which hit the left side of his face. Every time Manny threw his left left, Erik countered with that straight right before following up with his excellent repertoire of hooks and uppercuts. As for those fans who won?t let it go, didn?t Erik go into the fight with a possible broken nose and a cataract?
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Whenever these guys step in, we seem to have the privilege of seeing a great fight. Morales? last two fights stand among in the best in the history of the super featherweight division, matching the great Chacon/Boza-Edwards/Limon series and my personal fave, 1991’s gruelling draw between Brian Mitchell and Tony “The Tiger” Lopez. Based on the calibre of the Pacquiao-Marquez war, one wishes that Juan Manuel Marquez would enter the equation a little more…
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Speaking of Brian Mitchell, I say without hesitating that he was the most accomplished boxer in 130-pound history. A white South African, the apartheid rap always threatened to stick, even though he was openly against that system, emphasised when he said ?I don?t fight for the WBA, the WBC or the South African government, but for my wife and two boys?. Although he honed his craft in the black townships, the WBA never allowed him to fight at home, after winning the title there against Alfredo Layne in 1987.
He became one of the great road warriors, travelling to Italy, Spain, France, Panama, Puerto Rico and the United States, and fought back at home now and again in non title affairs, before moving to America. But the ignorant often threatened to ruin things, as when protesters threatened to boycott his defence against Jim McDonnell, in London. Mitchell’s other major problem was that he fought in the same era as Azumah Nelson, the great Ghanaian champion.
The two never fought, but the proliferation of titles meant that we were treated to not one, but two outstanding title reigns in a deep era. It’s a pity, however, that Nelson is generally assumed to have been the better. A chilling puncher with an enigmatic personality, Azumah held more fascination to the mainstream fan, than the subtler, lighter hitting technician that was Mitchell.
Nelson?s overall body of work was more impressive – with world titles at feather and super feather, including stoppage wins over greats Wilfredo Gomez and Jeff Fenech – but Mitchell was a bit better at 130. Nelson made 11 defences, and lost his title twice, whereas Brian defended 12 times and never lost a title fight. Nelson never beat a rival titleholder, whereas Mitchell discarded his WBA belt to outclass IBF titlist Tony Lopez in the rematch of their classic draw.
The common opponents theory doesn’t help when matching two fighters up, but both men\’s performances against Jim McDonnell are quite revealing as to the quality of their respective reigns, and to assess their overall abilities as 130-pound champions.
Jimmy Mac, now the trainer of Danny Williams, was a fine classical boxer of the upright British style. He had an abnormally slow heart rate and good legs, which allowed him to circle non-stop and pump out his jab all night. When Mitchell fought him, the wily Brian boxed as he always did. Mitchell made the Londoner fight his fight in November of 1988, outworking and outmanoeuvring him to win a clear unanimous decision.
When Nelson fought McDonnell a full year later, “The Professor” fought his student’s fight. Instead of showing a feint to draw a lead, or using angles (like Mitchell did) to cut the ring off, Azumah marched forward in absurdly straight lines, as if in a parade. This allowed Mac to run around the ring, and land clean counters.
It did prove to be a far more exciting fight ? indeed, it was a classic ? and Azumah punished his man when he achieved close range. But he really struggled. Although he scored a twelfth round technical knockout, he didn?t show as much ring savvy as the great Brian Mitchell.
