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WHO WILL FINISH THE FIGHT?
By Atty. Check Baluma
November 12, 2006 The Bohol Standard

Exactly a week to go before the match between the Philippine pride and sports hero, Manny “ Pacman” Pacquiao and the pride of Mexico, Erik “ El Terrible” Morales, the Filipino people is anticipating no less but a display of a classic boxing match and fireworks inside the ring. The fight has even the promise, the making of a fight of the year, with the two protagonists eagerly itching to inflict the other a second humiliating loss.

As the fight draws closer, noted boxing analysts are often heard and observed giving their fight predictions in the television, radio and even in the papers. The Pacquiao-Morales III fight has generated more interest and following than their two previous classic fights. Ring tickets sold for the fight according to Bob Arum, the promoter, has already reached 14,000 and an expected 3,000 more tickets will be sold. This figure does not even include the subscriptions to the Pay-per-View coverage of the fight.

Although in this fight, there is no doubt that Manny Pacquiao is the favored fighter to win, there is no question that Erik Morales could still pull surprises and relived once more his lofty position as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of the world. Pacquiao, who is ranked third in the pound-for-pound best boxers of the world, is highly favored to repeat over Morales in this fight, not only because he is the much younger and fresher fighter of the two, but also because of the past fight performances of Morales, who has already lost three of this last four fights, with the last of his lost coming by way of technical knockout, his first loss by stoppage.

The preparation of the two boxers for their fight scheduled on November 18( November 19 in Manila), 2006 took different turns. While Manny Pacquiao began his training in the Philippines and in the latter stage proceeded to his favorite training camp, the Wild Card gym of his friend and trainer, Freddie Roach, Erik Morales has decided to isolate himself and hold his training in one of the mountains in Mexico with his father, who is once again standing as his chief trainer. While Pacquiao seems not to be in danger of not making the 130 lbs. weight limit for their Super Featherweight fight, weighing 138 lbs. with his shorts and shoes on, a month to go before their fight, Morales is in danger of not making the limit, since he weight-in 142 lbs. a month prior to their fight.

For this particular fight, Morales because of his weight problems has hired experts to closely monitor his weight. Any fighter who goes beyond 130 lbs, stands to lose at least $ 500,000. A $ 1,000,000 penalty awaits the boxer who will weight 132 lbs. for the fight, with the option on the part of the fit boxer not to pursue the fight.. This scenario is feared by this writer, since from the looks of things, Morales is encountering difficulty in making the prescribed weight limit. If Morales weighs more than the prescribed weight limit for the fight by at least five pounds, Pacquiao should think not only twice but many times before agreeing to fight Morales. Fighting a much heavier opponent is not an advantage for Manny Pacquiao in the weight-class he is campaigning, since the power of his punches will be neutralized. A highly potential great fight in the past, the Corrales-Castillo fight was cancelled because the latter fighter failed to make the weight limit.

Robert Mladinich, of World Boxing Magazine, said Morales is finally showing the wear and tear of so many rugged fights in a 48-4 ( with 31 KOs) record. Another devastating loss to Pacquio will likely signal the end of his career. He further said that “ It might look light Pacquiao is nothing but a go-for-broke brawler with good power and endurance but he’s actually more of a thinking man’s fighter than he gets credit for and has learned to utilize savvy footwork to create punching angles. Morever, his once inconsequential right hand is now almost as menacing as his sizzling left”.

A victory by Pacquiao, who has a record of 42-3-20 (with 33 KOs) will likely lead him to a fight date with the current Super Featherweight Champion and another Mexican legend, Marco Antonio Barrera, whom Pacquiao once fought and humbled in a convincing fashion. It will likewise install and firm his name as the best Filipino boxer of all time. A loss, although it is far from the mind of this writer, will not so much diminish his popularity and rankings, but it will deprive him of the multi-million dollar earning opportunity to fight Barrera. On the other hand, a victory by Morales , though it seems less probable, will likewise lead him to a fourth rematch with Barrera for the SuperFeatherweight Championship. It will likewise revive and reaffirm his status as a fighter to reckon with in his weight division. The WBC has formally announced that the winner of the Pacquio-Morales III fight gets the right to challenge Marco Antonio Barrera for the SuperFeatherweigh title.

It is expected that on Sunday ( Philippine time), November 19, 2006, our countrymen will once again be glued to their television sets to watch and hope that their countryman and hero, Manny Pacquiao will deliver the finishing touches to the career of a Mexican boxing legend. Another Pinoy, Brian “ The Hawaiian Punch” Villoria, gets a chance to redeem himself from a poor previous fight performance and retake the WBC Flyweight title from his tormentor, Omar Niño, who is coincidentally from Mexico.

This is once again the time for Filipinos to show unity. While our country is often confronted by many issues that caused divisiveness among its people, it takes a man filled with fighting heart and love for country like Pacquiao for the people to show unity. In the previous fight dates where Pacquiao starred, the peace and order situation in almost all parts of the nation vastly improved, with many provinces and areas enjoying a zero crime incident. This only shows that whether saints or sinners, Manny Pacquiao has a special place in their hearts. May our sports hero emerge victorious and may he finish the fight in grand fashion.

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