By David P. Greisman
It was a glorious night and an entertaining fight, and thus in this week’s (unfortunately belated) edition of Fighting Words the focus will be on this past Saturday’s pay-per-view card featuring the super featherweight showdown between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. Special attention will be given to the round-by-round action, the clash of heads that left Pacquiao bleeding for a majority of the bout and the idea that wearing Winning gloves caused Pacman to be on the losing end of the decision.
Please also stick around for The Ten Count, in which I will discuss the televised undercard (especially the impressive Arce/Hussein battle) and some of the major fights on the docket in the weeks to come.
Celebrating Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao
My heart was pounding, my father and I radiated anticipation, and for Mexicans, Filipinos and a massive amount of boxing enthusiasts, March 19 just could not come soon enough.
The fight between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao was of such high expectations that I had not looked forward so much to a boxing event since Lennox Lewis faced Mike Tyson or Bernard Hopkins met Oscar De La Hoya. Unlike those two anticlimactic money pits, it was a virtual lock that the fight would be great, the warriors ready, the action so transfixing that to blink was to essentially miss Haley’s comet and lament the rarity of such an amazing occurrence.
And of course, knowing the two combatants involved, El Terrible and Pacman did not disappoint.
Many viewers collectively held their breath in the first round, unsure whether or not they would see a repeat of the slaughter that Pacquiao had dealt unto Juan Manuel Marquez last year. Could Morales handle Manny’s power? What impact was Pacquiao’s new not-so-secret weapon (the right hook nicknamed “Manila Ice”) going to have on the Mexican veteran? And, most intriguingly, could the proud Tijuana native learn from Marquez and keep himself boxing instead of brawling?
And with the ringing of the bell, all speculation came to a halt, as the match was underway.
Erik Morales? Brilliant!
Not only did Erik Morales make it out of his first round against Manny Pacquiao in much better shape than did Marquez, but he also landed some good, hard shots of his own. It seemed that for every straight left that hit the man from Tijuana, he came back with some offense of his own, backing up the Filipino.
Morales, the experienced veteran, kept himself under control, maintaining the role of boxer-puncher throughout the right, and it was apparent by the second round that his power was bothering Pacquiao. In the corner after six minutes, Pacman was spitting blood, a sight that would be followed later with coughing and throat clearing.
Clearly, Morales had studied the adjustments that Marquez had made against Pacquiao, an assertion that was confirmed by the HBO commentators, who astutely reported that El Terrible had viewed the film more than a half dozen times. His counterpunching was earning Manny’s respect, and in the middle of the match I was hoping that people weren’t thinking that Pacquiao was overrated, but instead realizing just how talented Morales is.
And This Is What It’s Like When Heads Collide
Like so often happens when an orthodox pugilists faces a southpaw, a headbutt occurred in the fifth round, leaving a deep vertical gash over Manny Pacquiao’s right eye. After the doctor checked the source of the flowing crimson, which quite obviously looked like it came from a clash of heads, it was revealed that referee Joe Cortez ruled that the cut came from a punch. Television replays would prove otherwise, but it didn’t really matter. Although Pacquiao would note after the fight that his vision was affected, he continued on valiantly, and since butts are a part of the sweet science, no excuse can be made that should Cortez have made the correct observation, the fight would have turned out differently.
Still, the butt and the blood had a major influence on Pacquiao’s demeanor, and his corner could be overheard telling him to calm down before the beginning of the sixth. Knowing that at any moment the ringside physician could call a halt to the bout, Pacman came out throwing, and it seemed like Morales was taking the round off while showing an impressive ability to absorb Manny’s power punches. With Pacquiao winning the sixth due in part to Morales’s inactivity, this scribe’s scorecard had the Mexican with a 4-2 lead at the midpoint, with only the first and sixth rounds going to the southpaw from the Phillipines.
Before round seven, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told Manny that “the fight is to back him up,” but the true story was that unlike against Morales’s rival Barrera, Pacman was unable to dictate the pace. Manny would land good punches in combinations, but Morales would come right back, sending Pacquiao into retreat mode.
The action was exciting, and as the fight progressed it was intriguing to see that it was Morales walking his opponent down, throwing the occasional shot that would leave Pacquiao slightly staggered. Still, Pacquiao is never truly out of the fight, and after landing some heavy shots of his own in the ninth round, the stanzas entered double digits with Morales wobbling to his corner but leading on my card six rounds to three.
As Pacquiao’s right eye became more swollen through the tenth and eleventh rounds, it seemed clear that Manny would need a knockout to win, and considering his reputation, the possibility could not fully be ruled out.
The final three minutes began with two amazing fighters touching gloves in the center of the ring, a massive amount of fans (both in the arena and watching around the world) cheering in throngs and expecting Pacquiao to fight like his back was against the wall, and, surprisingly, with Morales turning southpaw and going toe-to-toe, mano-a-mano.
It was incredibly ballsy, but incredibly stupid, and with Pacquiao inflicting his hardest and most cleanly-landing shots of the night, Morales wobbled and teetered and at times seemed to be out on his feet, but he kept firing back, reminding anyone who may have forgotten that he still had warrior in his blood.
The bell rang, and as Michael Buffer announced that all three judges had scored the main event 115-113 for Morales, one could only imagine what the many reactions would have been had Manny knocked down Morales even once to force a draw.
Still, Morales had won, and earned a clear cut decision at that, boxing intelligently, earning his foe’s respect, and treating all comers to yet another amazing show. Morales admitted that he turned lefty in the final round for the fans, and Pacquiao and Roach pondered whether or not the outcome would have been different had Manny been wearing his preferred Reyes gloves. Still, the two stars dished out respect just as willingly as they had supplied punishing blows, a refreshing sight.
Glovegate?
Did the gloves make a difference? Did promoter Murad Muhammad’s failure to ensure his fighter’s ability to not have to use the differently padded Winning gloves truly mean that Morales was more able to go with the blows? I don’t know. I’m not knowledgeable yet of the specifics of that side of the sport, but I do take comfort in seeing that while Team Pacquiao lamented not being able to use Reyes, they did not make excuses.
Your Email
Nothing in the mailbag this week. Did you all see the fight as I saw it, or are my opinions way off track? Let me know by emailing me at boxingscene@hotmail.com.
The Ten Count
1. As little as I have seen of the lowest weight classes, I was impressed with Martin Castillo and underwhelmed by Eric Morel. I seem to recall hearing plentiful positive things on Morel just years back, but against Castillo he was outmatched by a stronger, better man. Towards the end of the twelve-rounder, Morel wore the same look of frustration that Shane Mosley had in his first meeting with Winky Wright.
2. Watching the “special showcase” for Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. was a lot like driving down a busy road and seeing a child’s parents let him or her wander perilously close to the street. In this case, though, I refer not to the kid Chavez but to his “sacrificial lamb,” Ryan Maraldo. By the end of the first round, it was clear that Maraldo had no business being in the ring any longer, and Dad prognosticated that the stoppage would come fairly early in the second stanza. Yet the punishment kept accruing, while referee Toby Gibson and Maraldo’s corner showed little concern for their human punching bag. It took until four seconds remained in the third round for Gibson to finally call a halt to the bout, and with that sort of neglect I feel that the Nevada State Athletic Commission should take a serious look at the professional capacity of Gibson in the squared circle.
3. If Maraldo’s corner took too long to prevent the continuance of any more unnecessary beating, hall of fame fighter Jeff Fenech, now the trainer of Hussein Hussein, threw in the proverbial towel at just the right time. Even though Hussein Squared protested Fenech’s decision, it was fairly clear that Hussein’s opponent, Jorge Arce, was landing hard, clean shots that were buckling the Lebanese Australian’s knees. Arce was fairly far ahead on the cards (at least in my opinion), and as much as it pains a pugilist’s pride, the fate was sealed.
4. Jorge Arce was magnificent in said bout, a match that seemed like an early candidate for fight-of-the-year and a perfect way to warm up the crowd right before the main event. The HBO announcers were making comparisons of Arce to Roberto Duran, but sadly I have never seen said Legend fight. In my eyes, though, I saw a combination of the explosive firepower of Manny Pacquiao and the willingness to trade of Ricardo Mayorga, albeit without the wildness and other negative aspects of the latter.
5. That cut on Arce’s nose may well have been the nastiest I’ve seen since the two inflicted on Vitali Klitschko when he faced Lennox Lewis nearly two years back.
6. At the midpoint in this week’s The Ten Count, I also feel like I am at the midpoint of the beginning of my being a boxing journalist. I just want to note that I tremendously appreciate the opportunity that BoxingScene.com owner Rick Reeno has provided me, and I have also received plenty of advice from MaxBoxing.com’s Jason Probst. Lastly, my dad has been the perfect audience to talk shop with and run my writing by. Thanks to the three of you, as well as to the wonderful assortment of friends who read my stuff.
7. Okay, with the mushy stuff aside, I’m looking curiously at three upcoming fights. First, this Saturday Fernando Vargas makes his comeback at 160 against Raymond Joval. Vargas, like Morales and Pacquiao, is a warrior who gives his all in the ring, and hopefully he will be back in good health and in his old form, providing exciting fights each and every time out.
8. Speaking of old form, harkening back to a few years ago, no one seems to want to face Wladimir Klitschko, except this time, instead of the thoughts of impending destruction causing a lack of opponents, it’s the thoughts of “What the Hell do I have to gain by facing him?” that have taken their place. Wlad was supposed to be facing Sergei Lyakovich on HBO on April 23, competing against ESPN’s four fight PPV, but Lyakovich dropped out. Now Eliseo Castillo’s name is in the mix, but if Castillo wins, what does beating Wlad prove nowadays? As for the giant Ukrainian, he has nothing to gain if he wins and everything to lose if he is defeated. A win against a C-level heavyweight is, well, not noteworthy, while a loss to an unheralded foe (echoing the thoughts going into Klitchko’s bouts with Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster) just further embolden the argument that Wladimir should retire.
9. Continuing with the idea of a fighter I do not desire to see in the ring, John Ruiz will be making a defense of his heavyweight title on HBO on April 30, replacing the postponed Vitali Klitschko/Hasim Rahman bout. Hopefully drowning out the noise from Ruiz’s manager/trainer Norman Stone will be trash talk from one of my favorite big mouths (and Ruiz’s opponent), James Toney. If Ruiz wins, the boxing crowd will see more dreadful wrestling matches from the Quiet Man. If Toney wins, look for true heavyweight unification to begin, with Lights Out likely meeting another defensive stylist, Chris Byrd.
10. The Contender Update: There was something absolutely chilling about watching Najai Turpin fall apart on screen, since this past Valentine’s Day the Philadelphian nicknamed “Nitro” took his own life. After Turpin lost a unanimous decision to California’s Sergio Mora, Sugar Ray Leonard appeared on the tube to relate the sadness following Nitro’s suicide, and methods to contribute to a trust fund for Turpin’s young daughter appeared on screen. Lost in the true reality of the tragedy were the implications of the rest of the events of this “reality show,” such as Turpin’s loss meaning that the West team has won all four of the first-round matches to date. Also on this episode, Jeff Fraza came down with the chicken pox and had to leave the show, causing the boxers to bring back Peter Manfredo, Jr., who was defeated by Alfonso Gomez in the series premiere.
So What Do You Think? Let’s Hear Your Own Fighting Words
As always, I got away with filling the pages with my own opinion, but I still would love to hear your thoughts on Morales’s decision over Pacquiao, the PPV undercard, upcoming matches, The Contender and anything and everything else boxing that is on your mind. Drop me a line at boxingscene@hotmail.com, and don’t forget that all opinions are welcome.