Morales: Live Fast, Die Young
Pacquiao: Live Fast, Live Forever

Photos & Report By Bret “The Threat” Newton
 

In the back of every Erik Morales fan, they knew what was going to happen, whether they were going to admit it or not. Backing Morales and feeling strongly that he’d get his revenge in the rubber match against Manny Pacquiao was based on hope. I'm one of them, and after Pacquiao’s 3 round destruction, no Morales fan should ever hold their head down in shame. Being a Morales fan means you’re going to see a great fight and you’ll be cheering and rooting for an excellent fighter, one who’s always entertaining and gives his best, one hundred percent of the time. Whether or not he fights again, we’ve been treated to some effort that not many boxers put into a single round in some of their fights throughout their entire careers. You can witness an effortless clinic by the hands of Floyd Mayweather over 12 rounds with Carlos Baldomir, or you can watch Morales get up from 2 knockdowns to come forward swinging away, trying his best. Sure, he could have stayed away, but Pacquiao would have caught up with him, so Morales took it like a man and gave it his best shot. Heck, Morales landed a few right hands that would have floored nearly any other fighter, but Pacquiao is from another world and walked through all that Morales had to offer. The key fact is, Morales will always be remembered for his performances because of his ‘never give up’ attitude. His will to win is too great and few fighters carry this motto with them. Some fighters think they’re all about it, but most would be lying.

Morales gave all he could in all three fights with Pacquiao and has done so in every single one of his fights as well. That’s what separates Morales from most fighters. Even Marco Antonio Barrera has heard many boos from his own fans from lackluster performances or unwilling to engage into full battle. Barrera is also a great fighter, but it will be Morales who’s willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, no matter what that catches the eye first. Morales loses to Barrera in their third fight, usually that means time off and then a tune-up fight against someone respectively easy. Who did Morales choose? Pacquiao. That would be their first fight and Morales would win an amazing 12 round war. Morales never took the easy way out. Barrera would be the one to take the easier tune-up fight against Mzonke Fana which was a huge mismatch, but unusual because Barrera was on a winning streak. Morales had lost and gone up whereas Barrera had won and gone down. To me, that just makes Morales stand out just a little bit more.

Of course Morales’ wanting to take on the best and only the best and then give them his best at that, would eventually deteriorate him slowly and then suddenly. Nearly every fight Morales has had was considered a “war”. Wayne McCullough, Barrera 3 times, Guty Espadas(the first time), In Jin Chi(don’t forget about this one, great fight), Jesus Chavez, and Carlos Hernandez all huge fights that were fast paced and high in action where both received lots of punishment. Back to back to back. Even Zahir Raheem made Morales work. The question is, would it all be worth it, to have lived that fast and fell so hard in the end?

Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, lives twice as fast. It’s nearly unheard of. Pacquiao gets sick, takes a week off training, puts his body through too much. Parties, gambles, stays out late. How does he do it? You’d figure he’d be the one that ended up on the canvas. A bit Ricardo Mayorga-esque. And on top of it all, Pacquiao really isn’t the most skilled fighter. He’s often flatfooted. Jumps in with his shots. His back foot follows his right hand at times. Sometimes both his feet are off the canvas when he throws a punch. Not so much an unorthodox like Naseem Hamed, but it’s unusual to say the least. But, Pacquiao has a chin as solid as iron and his punch could break bricks. His activity level is probably the highest of any current active fighter. Add those together and you can beat some of the most skilled fighters, which for Pacquiao have included Barrera and Morales (twice), among others like Oscar Larios, and Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Lets not forget the opening round with Juan Manuel Marquez. Despite possibly losing that fight which ended in a draw, how did Pacquiao do that? Marquez was nearly a clone of Ricardo Lopez and Pacquiao comes out and drops him 3 times in the opening round. You had to be out of your seat when that happened. Pacquiao is just an insane fighter from another world it seems. If all the distractions and the lifestyle he lives hasn’t put a dent in him, then there probably isn’t anything that can

And just for the record, if Barrera vs. Pacquiao II does take place some time next year, despite my thoughts in Barrera being 10 times a more skilled fighter than Pacquiao, I just don’t see a way Barrera can win.


Questions or Comments? Please Contact Bret "The Threat" Newton