By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Ring Magazine and IBA featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao was scheduled to motor to Los Angeles today for a 3:00 p.m.,appointment with an eye specialist who was to perform plastic surgery to repair the nasty gash suffered during his epic war with Erik "El Terrible" Morales at a jampacked MGM Grand Garden Arena here in Las Vegas last Saturday.
The jagged gash was caused by an accidental headbutt in the fourth round which greatly hampered Pacquiao's vision and forced him to fight for eight rounds with one eye. If not for the great work done by renowned cutman and trainer Leny de Jesus the fight may have been stopped because of the cut. Pacquiao himself told referee Joe Cortez that the cut was caused by a headbutt but the referee insisted it was a punch. Dr. Florence M. Villaflor told Manila Standard Today that "there was no way such a gash could have been caused by a punch because it was jagged and not in a straight line." The cut itself was L-shaped and required fifteen stitches.
Dr. Villaflor who rushed to the Valley Hospital emergency room at the request of international promoter Murad Muhammad when Pacquiao was taken there right after the post fight news conference,revealed that Pacquiao also underwent a CT Scan and initial results showed there were no problems. Dr. Villaflor said doctors would re-stitch the cut from the inside after removing the sutures and all traces of a scar would disappear through plastic surgery. Dr. Villaflor indicated that the "scar tissue is not as strong as normal tissue" and that Pacquiao would "need to rest for five to six months after which he will be okay."
The Filipino doctor who practices in this city of bright lights, stretch limousines and high rollers said the gash "definitely affected the depth of perception" of Pacquiao and that was why his punches often fell short of their target.Pacquiao himself said " I could only see with one eye but even then I almost knocked him out in the last round with my body shots. I saw his knees buckle. If I had another thirty to forty seconds I could have knocked him out." However, Pacquiao, in a true act of sportsmanship defended Morales saying "the headbutt was clearly accidental because he bent his head when I hit him and our heads clashed" although Pacquiao was visibly upset with referee Joe Cortez for insisting it was a punch that did the damage.
Cortez was the same referee who put his arms around Pacquiao after he had knocked down WBA/IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time in the first round of their showdown in May 2004 which usually signals a halt to the fight. But Cortez let the fight continue enabling Marquez, with the benefit of a scoring error by referee Bart Clements to win a controvresial decision. The referee immediately after the fight admitted mis mistake but the Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Marc Ratner refused to alter the outcome despite a protest by Pacquiao's promoter Murad Muhammad.
Pacquiao said he wants a rematch with Morales and promised he would not commit the same mistakes that cost him the fight in which all three judges, Paul Smith, Chuck Giampa and Dave Moretti turned in identical 115-113 scorecards. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson who was at special ringside rooting for Pacquiao and referred to him as a true warrior took issue with both referee Cortez and the judges decision and reportedly said "it sucks."