by Jeremy "Fasttalker" Bjornberg - 01/25/2006
As shocked as I was at this weekend's rematch between Erik "El Terrible" Morales and Manny "Pac-man" Pacquiao, it can't compare to the shock of the Mexican contingent that showed up to support their hero. If a knockout loss wasn't enough humiliation, the Mexican fans were also out cheered by the thousands of Filipinos in attendance. The crowd was rowdy three hours before the fight and would erupt if either fighter was shown on the Thomas and Mack scoreboard. I have been traveling to fights for nine years and only the crowd in attendance for Fernando Vargas vs. Felix Trinidad was louder. Everyone in the arena was feeling the rush of this highly anticipated rematch.
The fight started out almost identical to the first as Pacquiao thrilled his fellow Filipino's by stunning the proud Mexican early in round 1. Morales then responded and rocked the former champion with a right hand and took the round with a strong finish and he continued his control all the way until the end of round 5. The fight then turned abruptly for the pride of Tijuana as he was dominated with a flurry of straight lefts in round 6 and almost knocked down a few times. As Morales had shown in their first battle his heart made a comeback possible, but this was not his night.
Manny started to turn up the heat and stalk him with right hooks to the body and straight lefts to the head. After round 9, Erik's facial expressions showed a beaten man. Pac-man dropped him legitimately for the first time in his Hall of Fame career. El Terrible did rise gingerly at the count of 9, but the battle was over. Pacquiao jumped in for the kill and dropped Morales causing the referee to wave off the fight halfway through round 10. This fight was stunning to even Doc's, as we felt a clear decision identical to the first fight was in order for the proud Mexican.
Although this fight was shocking, the result was far from the only stunning event of the weekend. I arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday and found that Erik was even money and Pacquiao a slight underdog. By the day of the match every Sportsbook had Pacquiao as slight favorite as Morales plunged down to -130. I know that El Terrible looking like he was anorexic at the weigh-in had a lot to do with it, probably almost as much as all of the action the Filipino's put on their hero to win. Either way, this was looking a lot like Jermain Taylor vs. Bernard Hopkins II, another unpredictable night of boxing.
Manny Pacquiao has solidified a spot at the top of any pound-for-pound list, as well as become an official slayer of Mexican greats. A knockout over Erik Morales and his hated rival Marco Antonio Barrera guarantee a spot in the Hall of Fame. Three knockdowns of Juan Manuel Marquez also prove Pacquiao can hurt ANYONE. Speaking of Barrera, a showdown with Manny at 135 may very well be in the works. If anyone out there loves a rowdy crowd, I would highly recommend making that potential instant classic. As far as Morales, he was cleared at the hospital and will now take a year to vacation and relax with his beautiful wife and upcoming birth of a son. I can only pray his son is the kind of entertainer and warrior his father was.
Doc's was able to uncover a potential LINE OF THE YEAR for this weekend's welterweight battle between Arturo Gatti and Thomas Damgaard. You won't want to miss this 100 percent guaranteed pick as the cash is simply too good to pass on. I am guaranteeing with the utmost confidence this pick.
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