By Ronnie Nathanielsz
The respected Editor-in-Chief of Ring Magazine, the acknowledged “Bible of boxing” said yesterday that if the father of Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Jose Morales was in his corner during “The Battle” with Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao last Saturday, “he might have pulled Erik out earlier.”
Morales had fired his father after he dropped an embarrassing decision to Zahir Raheem last September 11 although there were reports that his father was relieved because of illness.
Nigel Collins, in response to a request from Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today on his thoughts about Pacquiao’s sensational tenth round knockout victory said “the punishment Manny dished out the final three or four rounds was a bit frightening and I was beginning to worry about Morales.”
Collins said that technically Pacquiao “did an excellent job of using his right hand especially to the body.” He noted. that there was “one right to the ribs in the sixth round that caused Morales to stop fighting and straighten up for a moment. That punch clearly hurt him and from that point onward Manny gradually surged ahead.”
Collins admitted that when Pacquiao decked Morales in the tenth round “it was the perfect ending to a great fight.” Collins said that after the two boring bouts between Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins, “boxing needed an exciting fight, a bout to showcase the sport at its best and Manny and Erik gave us that.”
The Ring Magazine editor-in-chief who was here two years ago to present Pacquiao with the Ring championship belt at a Malacanang ceremony said it was “a historic victory for Manny as he became the only man to stop both Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. That accomplishment will be of greater significance as years go by and will be a big factor when the time comes to consider Pacquiao for election to the boxing Hall of Fame.
Collins said there were several reasons why things turned out differently in the rematch. He said Pacquiao was “more focused and in better physical condition. It also seemed that he’s grown into the 130 pound division since his first fight with Morales. Although Morales was still the larger of the two, Morales couldn’t push Manny around as easily as before.”
