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I'D PUT MY MONEY ON PACQUIAO By Kenny Perrault |
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I'D PUT MY MONEY ON PACQUIAO By Kenny Perrault |
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On March 19th, Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring against one of the world's best fighters in Erik Morales. Pacquiao's first title was in the flyweight division, where he held the WBC crown. His big break came when he filled in on short notice to challenge IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba on the Oscar de la Hoya - Javier Castillejo undercard. Pacquiao dropped Ledwaba three times en route to a sixth round TKO becoming a star in the boxing world overnight. After his fight with Ledwaba, Pacquiao went on to knockout four of his next five opponents before facing featherweight kingpin Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao rose to the challenge when put in front of Barrera scoring an 11th round TKO. After the Barrera fight Pacquiao went on to fight Juan Manuel Marquez to a 12 round draw. The Marquez fight raised more than a few eyebrows after the judges' decisions were announced. Many at ringside and at home felt Pacquiao did enough to deserve the nod including scoring three knockdowns in the first round. Talks of a second Marquez fight were never finalized, which left both fighters looking elsewhere for fights. Manny Pacquiao settled for a fight against Fahsan (3K-Battery) Por Thawatchai. Pacquiao made easy work of Thawatchai, scoring four knockdowns on his way to a fourth round TKO.
The man on the other side of the ring looking at Manny Pacquiao will be Erik Morales. Morales may have one of the best resumés in boxing, having fought the who's who of each division he's toiled at. Morales last fought in November 2004 against old foe Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera, like he has done so many times in the past, once again found the Fountain of Youth and won a majority decision leading 2-1 in the Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera wars. Morales, a veteran of 19 world title fights, will walk into the ring on March 19th as the underdog. Although Vegas betting lines may not have Morales as the favorite to win, you can guarantee Morales will have strong support from fans inside the MGM Grand come fight night. Both fighters posses great talent and big hearts in the ring. Don't expect either man to back down, no matter what the risks may be. Each fighter has advantages and disadvantages coming into the fight; Pacquiao brings in the bigger punch while Morales works the body as well as anyone in the sport today. Morales has more experience in big fights while Pacquiao is steadily building up his pugilistic resumé. It’s hard to pick a winner in this fight, but if I had to, I’d put my money on Pacquiao and watch nervously throughout the bout.
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