Manny Pacquiao left no doubt in this trilogy as he retained his WBC International Super Featherweight Title with a impressive third round knock out over Erik Morales in their scheduled twelve round bout promoted by Top Rank Inc. and broadcast live from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on HBO PPV this past Saturday night.
?PacMan? proved he is one of the Best Pound For Pound fighters in the world today by dominating Morales from the opening bell, until the fight ended officially at 2:57 of the third round. Pacquiao was ready to go as he looked in perfect shape for the 130-pound contest.
The third fight of the Pacquiao vs. Morales trilogy started where the second left off, with an action-packed round. Both fighters landed solid shots, but Manny was faster to the punch and landed more solid shots to take the round.
In round two, a solid left put Morales down, as he was moving back towards the ropes in attempt to avoid the onslaught by Pacquiao. He was up quickly and did not seem hurt. Erik came on strong during the remainder of the round, which produced non-stop action.
In the third and final round, Manny put Erik down with a solid shot, but again saw Morales up quickly. This time, Morales was in trouble. Pacquiao continued his devastating attack with punches coming in from all angles, landing most until Erik went down and out at 2:57 of the round.
Manny Pacquiao was just too fast, too powerful and much too accurate for Erik Morales and has proved that he, at this point in time, is the better fighter. Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao improves to 43-3-2 (33 KOs) while Erik Morales drops to 48-5 (34 KOs).
We may have seen the last of Erik Morales. He will go down as one of the best ever and I can?t see why he won?t eventually end up in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Manny Pacquiao has solidified his spot at the top of today?s boxing stars. At 130 pounds, the only other major fight for him is Marco Antonio Barrera. While this fight may not happen until mid to late 2007, I certainly can?t see why Pacquiao can?t take control of the rest of the Jr. Lightweight Division. I believe he could easily gain control of the entire division, which would lead to a showdown with Barrera. This may be the best route for Manny and his team.
Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao left no doubt after Saturday?s performance that he?s not only someone to be reckoned with, he now should easily be considered by all to be firmly positioned into the number two spot of the Pound For Pound ratings. He erased any doubt of that on Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
Random Comments
Is it just me, or when Larry Merchant comes on the screen you too use that time to go to the refrigerator. Am I the only one who thinks he is a complete joke? If it?s me, then don?t bother to read on.
I rarely miss big fights. I am either ringside or like everyone else, watch it on the Cable Networks or the PPV broadcasts. This includes HBO and HBO PPV. I respect HBO. They have brought us basically the best fights available on their network. On most of these broadcasts, we see Jim Lampley, Emanuel Steward and Larry Merchant.
While Jim is a great boxing commentator and Emanuel Steward is one of the best boxing analysts in the business, Larry Merchant falls well short of the fore mentioned and is nothing more than a joke. His interviews are so annoying I can?t watch and usually mute the sound. His questions come from left field. Sometimes I ask myself, ?What did he just say?? He has a tendency to act much too scholar-like for boxing fans to remain interested in what he is saying. He usually is somewhere other than issues concerning the fight. Off the wall stuff, if you ask me. Sometimes too much is just too much. He actually looks like he is acting more intelligent than he is.
His line of questioning is too deep. He does not connect with the fan or the boxer he is interviewing. He has a ?snooty? way about him. I think his presence has just ran its course and I think its time that the Powers That Be at HBO take a good long look at this clown and make the necessary adjustments to get him out and some new blood in. Jim Lampley and Emanuel Steward are the only two that are keeping viewers tuned in. They are the only two that actually say things that are meaningful to the fight, the fighters and the state of boxing in general.
They keep their professional insight in the direction that pertains to the fighters participating in the broadcast. Isn?t that what we want as a viewer? Maybe it?s his mannerisms; maybe it?s his presentation, or maybe its something else. All I know is it?s extremely hard to watch him, let alone listen. Maybe it?s just me.
If I am totally off base, and am the only one who thinks this way, PLEASE let me know. If you do agree with me, please let me know that too. You can contact me at [email protected]
