On Saturday, September 10th from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao will be in action again, just not against each other. Pacquiao will be taking on Hector Velazquez, while Morales will be in the ring against Zahir Raheem. Questions have risen over whether this will be a showcase card for a possible rematch between the two exciting fighters. Pacquiao and Morales fought in February in a much-anticipated bout, and the bout lived up to the hype as Morales won a decision. The boxing world would love to see them get it on again; the only roadblocks standing in the way of a possible rematch are Velazquez and Raheem.

     Remember this past January at the Staples Center, there was a card featuring Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor, fighting on separate bouts. At the time many said this card was  showcasing them for a possible future match. Obviously, as was evidenced in July, this came true. A couple of years ago Bernard Hopkins fought Carl Daniels on the same card where Oscar de la Hoya fought Felix Sturm. That also led ultimately to a match. Hopefully this Saturday's "Double Trouble" card will also lead to a future match between the headliners of the card.
 
     Barring any major upsets on Saturday all signs point to a possible rematch, which both fighters seem to want, especially Pacquiao. Pacquiao felt that if he had worn his preferred brand of gloves for the fight in February, he would have won. Since that fight Pacquiao has dumped his old promoter Murad Muhammad, who he blamed for the glove incident, and hired Gary Shaw. All Pacquiao has talked about is getting Morales back in the ring, and this time on his terms, (at least as far as gloves are concerned). He feels the result will be different this time. Meanwhile, Morales has just been looking toward his next big fight. Even though he has talked about wanting to face the winner of the upcoming Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo rematch, a rematch with Pacquiao has to peak his interest too. Morales has fought three battles with Marco Antonio Barrera, and two battles with Guty Espadas; he's no stranger to a rematch.
 
     The money and the fan interest will surely be there, so I am sure Morales will be game. ‘El Terrible’ has never been one to back away from anything.  Morales' promotional company Top Rank has always gotten along with Shaw as evidenced by the making of Castillo-Corrales twice. Therefore, everything is in place, it is just a matter of taking care of business this coming Saturday.
 
     Sometimes in a fight like this, where you have a possible big money fight looming in the near future, the headliner tends to fight a little cautiously. Don't expect to see this happen on Saturday night, not with these two. PacMan and El Terrible have never been ones to overlook a fighter, or look past a fighter. They are so exciting to watch because they bring it every time out. Can anyone remember a match involving either one of these fighters that was boring? So, expect to see some fireworks on Saturday night.

     It may sound like I'm trying to hype up Pacquiao and Morales because they're fighting 'nobodies,' but in fact they're fighting tough foes. Pacquiao is fighting Hector Velazquez, a gritty veteran, who like Manny has also moved up from the 122-pound ranks. Velazquez gave Rocky Juarez one of his toughest fights prior to Rocky's recent loss. Three of Velazquez’s ten losses have come at the hands of the likes of current or former world champions Kevin Kelley, Robbie Peden, and Israel Vazquez.  Velazquez also owns a win over former world champion Guty Espadas. Don’t expect this fight to be a pushover for Pacquiao.
 
     Morales will be fighting tough Philadelphian Zahir Raheem, who is 26-1, 16 KOs. He has only lost to Rocky Juarez, and holds wins over Rodney Jones and Luisito Espinosa. Raheem is a slick young fighter, who was on the fast track to super stardom until he took a risky fight against another undefeated prospect in Juarez and lost. Since then, Raheem has bounced back with three victories, and will have by far his toughest test to date in Morales. Raheem will hope to box and stay away from the aggressive and strong Morales.  Velazquez and  Raheem are no pushovers and if looked past could derail possible rematch plans between Pacquiao and Morales.

     The "Double Trouble" card is being promoted by Top Rank. The main events can be seen Saturday night on HBO. It should be fun as usual when two of boxing's most exciting fighters get in the ring even if it isn't against each other; yet.... 

Questions? Comments can be emailed to Tom Dickey

9-07-2005            
 

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