By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino ring idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said yesterday that the third fight with legendary Mexican Erik “El Terrible” Morales will take place in September and that “one or two pounds won’t make much of a difference because Manny will knock him out, regardless.”
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Roach disclosed that Pacquiao’s handlers headed by Shelly Finkel were negotiating with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum regarding the demand of both Morales and Arum that the fight take place at 132 pounds because of the Mexican’s difficulty in making the 130 pound limit. Provisions for a third fight were written into their rematch contract although it was silent on the issue of the weight
Roach said he was opting for 131 pounds but indicated that no matter what the weight Pacquiao was “ too good” and would repeat his demolition of Morales last January 21 when he knocked him out in the tenth round. Finkel earlier said the weight “wont be a deal breaker.” Roach said Morales “had trouble” making the 135 pound limit for his fight with Zahir Raheem and came in at 136 so he will “still have problems making the weight” even if it is 132.
Pacquiao had earlier insisted he wouldn’t give in to the Morales demand to fight at 132 pounds especially since he came in at only 128 ½ pounds in their last fight. Pacquiao said it was a “trap” laid out by Morales’ handlers headed by Arum. Finkel declined to comment on Pacquiao’s statements.
Roach also revealed that a tune-up fight with Oscar Larios would be staged in Manila this May most probably at the Araneta Coliseum, the home of the famed “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1965 and the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde’s historic seventh round KO over American Harold Gomes to win the junior lightweight title at the coliseum’s inauguration on March 30, 1960.
Roach said he would be in Manila “six weeks before the fight” to take charge of Pacquiao’s training camp. Roach said the only issue that needed to be finalized was the purse of Larios even as he said Pacquiao will be well taken care of. Roach said several big Philippine companies are vying to help stage the fight in Manila. PLDT’s Manny Pangilinan who has invested heavily in previous Pacquiao fights and has a pre-paid phone card and major endorsement tie-up with Pacquiao wanted to stage the Morales rematch in Manila. He is expected to be among those in the forefront of the bid to bring the fight to the Philippine along with San Miguel Corporation which recently signed a mega-buck partnership with Pacquiao.
Finkel, in an email to The Standard said “the fight in the Philippines will not be a tune-up but an HBO quality competitive fight “ Finkel revealed that “there have been several large organizations interested in the fight in the Philippines.”
