My problem with Manny is that he reminds me of a better schooled Ricardo Mayorga in that they both rely too heavily on the big punch, whenever they take a good shot they throw caution to the winds by unleashing a barrage of punches without thinking, thus leaving them vulnerable to a smart, deadly counter puncher such as Erik Morales.  Frustration has no business in a fighter’s mentality, his mind, hurt not withstanding, must always at all times be in control of his actions.  It is awfully hard to teach an old dog new tricks, Pacquiao can be too offensive minded at times, he has to tighten up his defense while trying to spot any openings. 

It was his undoing in their first fight; it can conceivably again be the difference this Saturday when El Terrible and The Pac Man square off.  Knowing Freddie Roach as I do, I know he will try to bring Manny into the fight using his head as well as his fists.  With this assessment, I would be amiss not to mention that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that if Manny falls into the same pattern as their first encounter, there is always the chance that one of his wild, hard haymakers, ala Barrera and Marquez, could land and swing the fight in Manny’s favor big time. 

Erik has to use his superior boxing skills to avoid getting caught with Manny’s wild onslaught which is sure to follow when he gets tagged good.  El Terrible, in their first bout was successful in avoiding Manny’s big left hook, for this fight, Freddie Roach said recently that he has been working on Manny not being so “left hand happy,” which leads me to believe that Erik had better be prepared to see Manny using his right hand more often. 

Freddie has also gone on record as saying that he has a lot of respect for Erik’s counterpunching ability, if he can get Manny to use his head and not leave himself quite so open for Erik’s counterpunches, he can concentrate on looking for openings, if so, The Pacman will have a much better chance of pulling out a win.  Size?  I still lean toward Erick as being the bigger, natural super featherweight, I know it was quite a few years ago, but I still remember that at 112 pounds, Manny was knocked out twice in the third round in fights against Medgeon Singsurat and Rustico Torrecampo. 

In the Singsurat fight on 9-17-99, Manny lost the WBC Flyweight title on the scales; he took a beating at the hands of Singsurat.  That was then, this is now, Manny has improved immensely as a fighter since those long ago days, not only is he a much better fighter, but he now has one of the premier trainers in boxing in his corner, a trainer who learned his craft from the greatest trainer of all time, Eddie Futch, if he pays attention to Freddie Roach throughout the fight, it will enhance Manny’s chances of winning the fight. 

His going up in weight has been to his benefit, as going twelve rounds against both Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez will attest.  I know a lot of fight people are putting a lot of emphasis on Erik losing his last fight, especially the manner in which he lost.  As a former trainer, I will try to explain his poor showing as best I can without taking anything away from the brilliant performance by his conqueror, Zahir Raheem. 

For one thing, the worst possible thing a fighter can do is not only underestimating an opponent, but also looking past him for his next big money fight, in this case, Manny Pacquiao.  I noticed right away that Erik was noticeably ill prepared, his timing and everything he has been known for was way off.  Erik Morales is not the kind of fighter who is accustomed to fighting catch-up, he is a laid back warrior who picks his spots and executes with precise timing, he is aggressive when he has to be and cautious when it is called for. 

Erik Morales is usually the fighter always in control of a fight, when right; he is a textbook study on how to use the ring.  Raheem trained for the fight of his life and it showed, he constantly beat Erik to the punch, a fighter must always train for a fight as though it is the most important fight of his career, and I mean…for every fight.  Erik was totally unprepared and he paid the price, it was his first fight at lightweight, if they were to fight again, Raheem would be in the fight even if Erik were properly prepared. 

To emphasize what I have just written, one need only to look back to Zab Judah’s recent loss to Carlos Baldomir of Argentina.  Judah, a 15-1 favorite, did the unthinkable by agreeing before his fight with Baldomir to fight Floyd Mayweather.  I do not like to make an assessment on a fighter without having seen him fight, but knowing that Judah had already agreed to fight Floyd, I smelled an upset.  I was told by a lot of people I respect that Zab would have an easy time of it with Baldomir, once in a great while, I have been impressed by the look of a fighter, of all of the photos I saw of Baldomir on the different websites leading up to the fight, I saw a young man who not only had the look of a fighter, but when I read of what he had to say.

I read the words of a fighter with enormous confidence knowing what a huge opportunity lay before him.  That coupled with the fact that Zab thought all he had to do was show up, win, and then on to Mayweather, it did not surprise me one bit that he got his butt kicked. 

Again I reiterate…a fighter must never, under any circumstances, underestimate an opponent, big name or no name.  Agreeing or signing for another fight with a title defense coming up is the worst sin a fighter can commit.   I cannot believe that there was no one among Zab Judah’s brain trust that could have allowed such an oversight. 

It only told me that Zab Judah apparently calls the shots, that could never have happened back in the day when a fighter’s job was to  concentrate totally on his upcoming opponent while giving his all in the gym.  Promoter Bob Arum has gone on record as saying that there will be no Judah-Mayweather fight, citing that the casinos have no interest in staging such a fight.  Zab Judah has no one to blame but himself.  I do not have the time or the space to list all of the upsets that I have witnessed over the years when a fighter looked past an opponent.  As in the case of Morales- Raheem and Judah-Boldomir, a fighter must always be reminded that his unheralded opponent is training for the fight and the opportunity of his life. 

Marco Antonio Barrera has shown interest in fighting the winner of Morales-Pacquiao, when asked if he would like to fight Marco Antonio Barrera after his fight with Morales, Manny was quick to reply, “I’m not talking about any other fights.  This is the only fight that matters right now.  In terms of what my future is, my future is January 21.”  There is not a doubt in my mind that  Erik Morales embraces the same opinion.  Win or lose, you will see a well prepared Erik Morales for this fight, as will Freddie Roach have Manny Pacquiao in top fighting form. 

Both Erik and Manny have expressed great confidence in predicting a win, they will be fighting for the WBC International title in what is being called a WBC Super Featherweight Eliminator.  Erik Morales has vowed to win the fight for his beloved Mexico, not to be outdone, Manny Paquiao expressed the same sentiments for his much-loved Philippines.  With such dedication and preparation, the fight cannot fail to be a fight of the year candidate.  In a classic confrontation, the fight is a must-see for all fight fans. “El Terrible and “The Pac Man”…may the best man win!

GOLDEN STATE BOXERS ASSOCIATION

On January 10th, the Golden State Boxers Association kicked off their first meeting of the year with President Julian Eget presiding.  It was a large gathering that turned out at the Spaghetti Factory in Hollywood, California.  There were entirely too many great ex-champions and future champions present to name them all.  The meeting was a sign of the great things President Eget has planned for the organization.  Since he took over the reins as president, Julian Eget has taken the Golden State Boxers Association to new heights.  His dream of launching The Golden State Boxers Hall of Fame will soon become a reality.  President Eget is definitely a man of vision, as a member of his Golden State Boxers Association; I know I speak for all of the other members in saying that we are behind our president 100%.

UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND…PEACE AND GOD BLESS!

JOHNNY ORTIZ IS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD BOXING HALL OF FAME BOARD OF DIRECTORS, A MEMBER OF THE GOLDEN STATE BOXERS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND IS A FORMER CO-OWNER OF THE WORLD FAMOUS, LEGENDARY MAIN ST. GYM.