By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former world featherweight champion Cornelius Boza Edwards who vividly remembers how he lost the title in a shocking fifth round knockout in August 1980 to Rolando Navarette, who also was a southpaw and hails from General Santos City just like Manny Pacquiao, said yesterday Pacquiao’s battle with Erik “El Terrible” Morales would be “a very interesting fight.”
Boza Edwards said that while Morales, the former three-time world champion was a “fully fledged” 130 pounder and “taller than Pacquiao” the Filipino southpaw was “a good puncher whose speed and accuracy is phenomenal.” The ex world champion who was regarded as one of the best pound for pound fighters when he lost to Navarette in Viareggio, Italy after being dropped in the third and fourth rounds said he noticed the “quick hand speed of the southpaw who is very confusing and you don’t know when he’s gonna hit. You can’t figure him out, just like Navarette.”
Boza Edwards pointed out that Morales “likes to get into a war” similar to what he did against Navarette and see what happened.” He said the best strategy for Morales would be to “run and eventually try to figure out Pacquiao although that is very difficult” remarking about what happened to Marco Antonio Barrera who was annihilated in eleven rounds by Pacquiao on November 15, 2003 in San Antonio, Texas. “Barrera was trying to figure out Pacquiao and bang, he was on the floor” added Boza Edwards who now trains and manages boxers and is based in Las Vegas. He said he drove to the Wild Card Gym to see Pacquiao in training.
GORRES HAS AN OPPONENT AT LAST/Ronnie Nathanielsz
After weeks of uncertainty Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation No. 1 super flyweight Z “The Dream” Gorres who is also rated No. 4 bantamweight by the WBO has an opponent who has agreed to fight him in a ten round, non title fight on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales “Coming With Everything” showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on March 19.
International promoter Murad Muhammad said yesterday he had signed up Mexican Felix Flores Murillo who fights out of Miami to take on Gorres who has been training for over one month at the gym of 2002 “Trainer of the Year” Buddy McGirt in Orlando, Florida along with former WBC champion Gerry Penalosa. Not much is known of Murillo who has a record of 15 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. There was no information available as of the moment about the number of fights he had won by the short route.
Gorres who is managed by WBC founding secretary general Rudy Salud in partnership with well-known Cebu boxing patron Tony Aldeguer was scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas on March 14 along with Penalosa who is being lined up by Murad for a fight in April. McGirt who has been impressed with Penalosa, especially his punching power, saying “he can really crack them” has said he was confident the 32 year old southpaw can once again become a world champion. Salud along with his lawyer son Chito and executive assistant George Alcantara are scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas on the direct PAL flight from Manila on March 16 while his other lawyer son Renato “Ato” Salud will plane in from Switzherland where he is now based.
Aldeguer together with WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Rey Bautista were scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles from Honolulu where Bautista scored a smashing KO over Thailand’s Arnee Posuwan, decking him with a three-punch combination at 1:45 of the fifth round. A report fron Honolulu said the undefeated Bautista caught the Thai with a cracking right uppercut and a left hook to the body to put him away. It took almost five minutes to revive the former Muay Thai fighter. Bautista was congratulated at ringside by former world junior lightweight champion Ben Villaflor as well as onetime title contender Jesus Salud. The trophy was awarded to Bautista by former world flyweight champion Rolando Bohol.
Aldeguer was rushing to Los Angeles the day after the March 10 fight in Honolulu to catch the ‘War Is On” fight card of former radio commentator Pex Aves featuring former world rated Filipinos Vernie Torres and Jerry Balagbagan against Mexican fighters without realizing that the fights had been postponed to the great disappointment of Torres and Balgbagan who said they had trained hard and were looking forward to putting on a good show. Several Filipino boxing fans who had bought tickets for the fight especially since Manny Pacquiao was advertised as putting on an exhibition with his sparring partners were looking to get a refund.
DE JESUS SAYS ITS 50-50/Ronnie Nathanielsz
Los Angeles (March 12) Cutman Lenny De Jesus, one of the best in the business who will work the corner of Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao in his March 19 showdown with Erik “El Terrible” Morales yesterday rated the chances of a Pacquiao victory at 50-50.
De Jesus told Manila Standard Today that while Pacquiao is “in the best condition of his life for this fight” Morales is going to be “a tough cookie to beat in his home turf” considering he has fought often in Las Vegas and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who handles Morales is known to be influential with the Nevada State Athletic Commission which gives Morales an edge especially if the fight is close and goes the distance. De Jesus noted that Morales is “a solid 29 year old in his prime and enjoys the home turf advantage.”
However, the astute boxing man with years of championship experience who was picked by Pacquiao to work his corner along with trainer Freddie Roach and Filipino trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez said Pacquiao was “a young, hungry lion” whom he calls “The little Tyson” because he is “fast, very quick and throws punches in bunches and that will help him.” De Jesus predicted that Pacquiao will be quicker because Morales will enter the ring at around 140 pounds (he was 143 for the fight against Marco Antonio Barrera which he lost) and that is to our (Manny’s) advantage. Pacquiao will be faster and the punches will come out quicker.”
De Jesus said it will come down to “a little Pacman against a very intelligent Morales and I think the fight will go eight or nine rounds, depending on who would want it the most. Manny will intimidate this guy and from then on its ours” even as he cautioned Pacquiao against over-confidence because “that’s where you tend to make a mistake and if you make a mistake you pay for it.” De Jesus said that “at one time I thought everything was on shaky grounds but we squared off, ironed out our differences and I’m proud to be a part of the original Team Pacquiao” which includes business manager Rod Nazario, Moy Lainez, Lito Mondejar and Gerry Garcia. There was a moment last week when the new management team wanted to bring in a cutman from Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar De La Hoya but Pacquiao proved he was calling the shots by scuttling the move and asking D e Jesus to fly to Los Angeles for his workouts at the Wild Card Gym.
De Jesus indicated it will have to be a team effort to beat Morales stating “we are going to have to do our part to try to stop Morales. The hunger that Pacquiao has and the public support behind him will help him. Also a good motivating corner that will stick together and do our work will help pull it off.”
