By Rey Danseco
 
A boxing analyst for HBO and the former trainer of Lennox Lewis, Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield and other great champions believes his namesake Manny Pacquiao will win and prevent Erik Morales to recover from a previous loss when they fight again tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Emanuel Steward, a Hall of Fame trainer and currently works as HBO boxing analyst, thinks Pacquiao has learned from the way Olympian Zahir Raheem dominated Morales in September at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Pacquiao, who won against Mexican Hector Velazquez with 6th round stoppage on that card, personally witnessed Morales’ loss to the faster American.

Aside from that, Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach reviewed the fight on tape during their training at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood where they based the fight plan for the rematch in the main event of the HBO-televised card dubbed “The Battle” at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“He'll (Pacquiao) use more boxing skills and it will help him keep on balance in the fight. I think he'll fight this fight a little more intelligently. I think he will," said Steward, a 61-year old native of West Virginia but rose in Detroit.

"Morales has been in some tough fights. I will go with Pacquiao on this one."

Steward was inducted in the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York, United States because of his stellar reputation in boxing circles.

The Boxing Writers Association of America also had several times named Steward, regarded as one of the most successful trainers and managers in the last two decades, “Trainer of the Year, and Manager of the Year”.

After training amateur boxers from early 1960’s in his Kronk Boxing Club in Detroit, Steward first have a pro-boxing champion in Hilmer Kenty who captured the world lightweight title by knocking out (9th round) defending champ Ernesto Espana of Venezuela on March 2, 1980 in Detroit.

And from then on, among the world champions who have trained or sought Steward’s guidance at some point of their career are: Hearns, Milton McCrory, Mike McCallum, Dennis Andries, Jimmy Paul, Duane Thomas, John David Jackson, Michael Moorer, Steve McCrory, Gerald McClellan, Wilfredo Benitez, Holyfield, Julio Cesar Chavez, Naseem Hamed, Lewis, and Oscar De La Hoya.

Last year, Steward agreed to train Davao City-native Diosdado “Prince” Gabi, who is now currently WBC world No. 2 flyweight contender.

The plan had not pushed through when WBC flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wonjongkam did not honor the verbal agreement to put his title on the line against Gabi and instead picked a pushover Japanese challenger Daisuke Naito who he was defeated in seven rounds in October in Tokyo.