The first bout went in favor of Erik Morales who out-boxed Pacquiao, while at the same time exposing him as a one-dimensional fighter who almost exclusively relied on his straight left hand. In the second bout Pacquiao avenged his loss by an impressive tenth round knockout. More importantly he added “Manila Ice” or simply the right hook which he used to devastate Morales.

Having faced each other twice before will only make the pre-fight preparations all the more rigorous and intense. Each boxer believes he knows what to expect from the other this time around, but don’t be shocked if we see new “weapons” and surprises from either fighter.

Going into this fight Manny Pacquiao seems to have the momentum working in his favor as his career is on a definite upswing. Also earning the distinction as the only man to ever stop Morales has to make Manny extremely confident going into the fight. All the indications and rumors regarding his training camp suggest that he is training harder than ever before, working hard on both his stamina and skills. After the addition of Freddy Roach as his trainer, Pacquiao has been on the road of constant improvement and chances are that he will be at his best for this fight. His strategy will be the same it always is, which is to come forward and try to overwhelm his opponent with punches. The only difference this time around is that Pacquiao has more than one punch in his arsenal.

It seems that Erik Morales is facing a different set of obstacles coming into the fight. First, his battle with the scale may have a significant impact on his performance as he struggles to make weight. Secondly, after suffering his first knockout loss it will be interesting to see how Morales responds mentally. On top of all this there is always the question of whether Morales has simply gone through too many ring wars and whether his best days are behind him. However, despite all this, Erik still retains superior boxing skills and toughness that will make him a serious threat against anyone. Therefore, his strategy should rely more on utilizing his boxing ability and less on brawling, which is usually the byproduct of his machismo attitude.