Relentless Pacquiao Sends Warrior Morales on the Road to Retirement

Erik Morales still had his warrior’s heart, almost to the very end.
It kept beating inside him, driving him on, forcing him to battle in the trenches even as he had to fight to prevent the swarming foe in front of him from just running him over.
And then, finally, even this great fighter, who through 52 fights would seemingly have died rather than surrendered, whose very countenance suggested a man who was born to fight and who would indeed died fighting, finally realized that the game was up, that even a 30 year old can be an old man when he has been boxing professionally since he was 15.
And so, after the third knockdown of the fight, and only the fifth legitimate knockdown of his career—all of them in his last two bouts, all of them at the fists of Manny Pacquiao—looked to his corner, shook his head, and acquiesced to reality. Referee Vic Drakulich counted to ten, but it was already over. And not just for the night.
“He was too fast, too strong,” said Morales afterward. “I did everything necessary to win this fight. I didn’t win it, it wasn’t my night … For the first time in my career, I felt the power of my opponent. Maybe it’s getting to be that time.”
At the post-fight press conference, Morales left the door ajar sufficiently to allow himself a farewell bout in front of his hometown fans before deservedly riding off into the sunset.
“If I fight again,” he said, “it will be in Tijuana.”
And with that, he left the dais, for an obligatory visit to hospital, leaving the stage to Pacquiao.
Which was how it should be, for although much thought and good feeling was expended on the Mexican warrior, it was Pacquiao’s fight, and Pacquiao’s night.
In front of a frenzied crowd of 18,276—the second highest in the history of the Thomas & Mack Arena, second only to a 1992 meeting between Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector Camacho, and 1,200 more than saw Lennox Lewis finally get a decision over Evander Holyfield in 1999—Pacquiao tore into Morales in the first round, after the two men spent the opening 90 seconds circling each other warily.
First Pacquiao would crack Morales, then Morales would respond and seemingly gain the initiative, and then Pacquiao would return fire once more.
The opening round was close, and the crowd was roaring with deafening approval, but Pacquiao seemed just that bit faster, that bit fresher, that bit … younger, frankly.
The big question entering the night was whether Morales would have anything left. Three defeats in his previous four bouts, including a stoppage loss to Pacquiao last time out, had left many observers feeling his well had run dry. But the Mexican had excuses for all those losses: weight issues, conditioning problems, training camp changes. He had worked with southern California fitness company Velocity Training since August, and as a result he looked a lean, strong, fit 129 pounds, not the gaunt, dehydrated appearance so typical of Morales at weigh-in time.
But weight and fitness are not enough in boxing, not after a lifetime of swapping hard punches, not if, after all those battles, the reflexes have begun their slow descent. And that, as it turned out, was indeed the case with Morales.
“At his age, he just can’t cope with someone that fast,” said promoter Bob Arum afterward. “He’s only 30, but he started so young.”
It all finally caught up with him in the second, the damage beginning when Morales missed with a left hook that left his chin exposed. Pacquiao rattled it with a right hook of his own, and then a left, spurring Morales into the kind of furious offense that has long been his favored defense.
That drove Pacquiao to the ropes, but as Morales unloaded, Pacquiao stepped neatly to his right and landed a left hand that sent Morales down and on to his knee and his haunches along the ropes.
Still, however, Morales would not be denied, and the two swapped more fierce exchanges at the bell.
Morales opened the third with a hard right hand to the body, but Pacquiao responded with a right hook to the head, then a left, then another right. Morales was hurt, and Pacquiao drove him across the ring with a two-fisted attack that put Morales down again. He hauled himself up, and, desperate to find one last surge, cracked Pacquiao hard on the chin as the Filipino rushed in to finish his man. But it wasn’t enough to keep the swarming man from Manila away from him. If Morales has long been an immovable object, Pacquiao is an irresistible force
And when that force rushed forward once more, throwing a blur of hard punches to Morales’ head, the resistance finally crumbled. Morales went down again, and finally, for the first time in his life, decided to stay there.
Of Pacquiao, what can be said? Already an adored hero in his native Philippines, he is well on his way to becoming the most popular fighter in the world today, if he is not already. His smiling, fan-friendly demeanor, and his fast-paced, opponent-unfriendly style, make him an ideal man to carry the banner for the sport, for as long as he can keep his sometimes notorious lack of focus from sabotaging his future.
At least for the next four years, it appears that future will be under the promotional banner of Top Rank. Arum announced that he had signed an agreement with Pacquiao—which, he claimed, superseded the much ballyhooed contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Pacquiao’s existing contract with Arum for this fight, said the promoter, rendered that Golden Boy contract illegal, and he said that the Filipino had returned the $500,000 that GBP had paid him, although there is some question about whether Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaeffer had agreed to accept it or not, perhaps setting up further legal challenges.
Pacquiao, although asked, didn’t want to talk about any of that. He just wanted, he said, to relax with his family and return to Manila to celebrate his victory with his fellow Filipinos.
Many millions will be waiting there for him, doubtless acclaiming him the greatest fighter in the world, pound for pound. After last Saturday, not too many journalists would be in a hurry to disagree with them.

WORLD'S BEST BOXING TRILOGY? PACMAN WINS

Manny Pacquiao easily destroyed Erik Morales in their highly anticipated rubber match this past Saturday night. It was a tremendous win for Pacquiao. That anyone could be capable of clobbering a fighter of Morales’s caliber with such ease is absolutely amazing. After all, Morales has been one of boxing’s elite for the better part of the last ten years, and against Pacquiao, he was reduced to nothing more than a helpless victim. Indeed, from the opening bell, it became apparent that he didn’t stand a chance against the hungry young fighter from the Philippines. Boxing can be a strange sport sometimes. In the case of Pacquiao and Morales, we have two fighters who have squared off three times in the past twenty months. The outcomes of these three encounters were all vastly different, but now that this trilogy has concluded an obvious picture has been drawn. We’ve just witnessed the decline of one great warrior and the emergence of another. In fact, this trilogy perfectly illustrates a figurative passing of the torch.In their first encounter, Morales was able to box his way to victory. His superior skills and experience enabled him overcome Pacquiao’s swarming style. For his part, Pacquiao certainly had his moments, but in the end, he fought a bit too one-dimensionally to overcome what Morales brought to the table. In a sense, Morales may have taught Pacquiao a valuable lesson that night, and Pacquiao has improved tremendously in the months since. Pacquiao is no longer the fierce puncher who relies exclusively on his left cross and relentless stamina. As if he wasn’t already dangerous enough, it’s now apparent that his right hand has become a key part of his arsenal. Pacquiao now carries amazing power in both hands, helping to amplify an already stellar swarming style. Thusly, his combination punching has improved, he’s become even more aggressive, and is now a more confident fighter. In light of that, it’s apparent that Pacquiao’s trilogy with Morales has proven invaluable; he’s come out of it even more dangerous than he’d already been. Morales is no longer the elite fighter he once was. In fact, everything about him seemed off on Saturday night. While there’s no doubt that had something to do with Pacquiao, the things that once made Morales great seemed to be grossly lacking. He appeared considerably slower, had no bounce in his step, and had absolutely no fluidity about him. Even worse, he had no pop in his punches. All of the epic wars Morales has had over the years have taken their toll. All that remained was his heart and his courage, but this time, that just wasn’t enough. With victory, Pacquiao has firmly established himself as one of the greatest talents in the sport. In fact, a strong argument can be made that Pacquiao is the best fighter pound-for-pound in all of boxing. Perhaps more importantly, Pacquiao seems to still be improving—a frightening prospect for any potential opponent. With his unique combination of freakish power, relentless stamina, and unrivaled determination, Pacquiao will pose major problems for any potential foe. So what’s next for these two great warriors? For Pacquiao, it seems the logical next step would be the long-awaited rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera. Since losing to Pacquiao three years ago, Barrera has re-established himself as a premiere fighter, proving critics wrong who had written him off after that bout. A rematch between the two is seemingly inevitable so long as Barrera wants the fight. After Pacquiao’s utter destruction of Morales, it would be understandable if Barrera had reservations, especially considering the result of his first bout with the beast known as Pacquiao. Barrera is a very smart fighter who undoubtedly realizes that he cannot stand toe-to-toe with a ferocious warrior like Pacquiao. To beat Pacquiao, Barrera needs to devise a plan that relies on boxing and, more importantly, defense. With Pacquiao’s aggressive style and high work rate, this will prove to be a most difficult task. The fact is now Pacquiao is better than when these two first met. Is this a fight that Barrera wants to take at this stage in his career? I certainly have my doubts. Although I’d never count Barrera out of any fight, I’m hard-pressed to see how he’d keep Pacquiao away for a full twelve rounds—a most daunting task if ever there was one. If the Barrera fight doesn’t come to fruition, a possible showdown with undefeated WBO champion Joan Guzman might be a good route for Pacquiao. For Morales, I think it’s the end of the line. He’s had a tremendous career that provided fans with many entertaining fights. He was a true warrior who represented everything that was good in a sport that’s often plagued by corruption. It is my sincere hope that he will retire and enjoy life. He has nothing else to prove.