HERE’S ANOTHER highly-respected fellow in the fight game who believes Manny Pacquiao will just end up getting the short end of the stick when he collides with Erik Morales on Jan. 21 next year in Las Vegas.
Dan Rafael, who used to cover boxing for USA Today, reported in ESPN.com that the Mexican nicknamed "El Terrible" is going to make it 2-0 against the Filipino southpaw when they slug it out at the Thomas and Mack Center.
"Yes, Morales lost his last fight (against Zahir Raheem), but that has nothing to do with the rematch with Pacquiao. We think it’s the same fight all over again, which means another Pacquiao defeat in another great fight," said Rafael.
In their first brawl last March at the MGM Grand, Morales staved off a last-ditch rally by Pacquiao to hammer out a 12-round unanimous decision. All three judges saw it 115-113 for Morales.
Morales said he respects Pacquiao’s daredevil attack, but he is making sure that the GenSan bomber will take a backward step to prevent him from doing what he likes best.
"I will put up the pressure because while Pacquiao is very good coming forward, he is at a loss whenever he is on the defensive," Morales had said. "He (Pacquiao) doesn’t know what to do when he is being attacked."
But Pacquiao said it’s going to be entirely different in the return meeting because he is going to be focused unlike before when he had to endure conflict within his former management team.
Pacquiao is already in Los Angeles preparing for the rematch, while Morales is also in training camp in Queretaro, some 200 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.
