PacMan's Corner

[greenarrow]

Morales still overweight for duel with Pacman

 

The Philippine Star 10/22/2006

 

Can he really make the weight?

 

While he felt "unbelievably strong" after weighing in at 142 lbs in Mexico City yesterday, Erik Morales’ chances of making the 130 lb limit for his Nov. 18 battle with Manny Pacquiao has remained in question.

 

As mandated by the World Boxing Council, the three-time world champion from Mexico was weighed a month before the fight, and was allowed to weigh no more than 143 lbs.

 

Morales tipped the scales at the Melia Hotel in Mexico City, clad only in striped boxing shorts, and in the presence of his father-trainer Jose Morales and WBC representative Mauricio Sulaiman.

 

Morales weighed 142 lbs. He now has exactly 27 days to shed off 12 lbs. While making the 130 lb limit is still possible, how he would remain in good condition climbing the ring is the big question.

 

Under the fight contract for the third and final showdown between the two sensational fighters, Morales will have to pay Pacquiao $500,000 if the Mexican weighs from 130.1 to 131 lbs.

 

And if Morales weighs more than that, Pacquiao will be paid $1 million and given the option of just taking the money and not fighting the crafty Mexican for the third and last time.

 

Pacquiao had previously said that if this happens, he would take the money, an easy P50 million, and still fight Morales. This way, he said, people wouldn’t think that he’s running away from the fight.

 

Pacquiao and Morales are guaranteed $3 million each for the fight. If Morales goes overboard, and Pacquiao decides to just take the $1 million and run, there’ll be no fight, and logically, no fight purse.

 

It was also announced that 10,000 tickets to the fight, set at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, have been sold, from as low as $50 to as high as $500. Other ticket prices are $100, $200 and $300.

 

When the fight contract was signed last July, Morales’ weight was severely questioned since he appeared to be weighing probably close to more than 160 lbs.

 

The Morales camp tried to lure Pacquiao to a catch weight of 135 lbs. But the Filipino insisted on 130 lbs, leading to the "give-me-a-million-and-will-fight-you" clause if Morales goes overweight.

 

Pacquiao never had problems with his weight as he prepared for this fight. Just the other day, his chief trainer Freddie Roach said the left-handed knockout artist is safe and sound at 135 lbs.

 

Morales, on the other hand, has worked so hard over the last three months. He stayed in Los Angeles for a rigid 60-day weight reduction program at the high-tech Velocity Training Center.

 

Then right after the Sept. 18 fight press conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the 30-year-old Morales moved straight to this secluded training camp in the mountains of Otomi, two hours away from Mexico City.

 

 

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200610221602.htm

[coldfussion]

I've went malling this weekend, while walking around something caught my attention. There is something posted in front of the mall...the much awaited re-match of Pacman and El Terible. they will be shown in the cinemas LIVE...

 

But here's the catch the ticket has a tag price of 500 pesos....On their second encounter the ticket was just sol for 300 pesos...if my math is still accurate they raised the price of the ticket by 60%...

 

I want to watch the fight live without the stupid commercial breaks but the price is too much for ordinary pinoys like myself...

[jaymz]

Morales has to lose 12lbs while Manny has to lose only 5lbs. Morales has to work harder in less than a month. Could that be detrimental in Erik's performance come Nov. 18? If so, Manny can destroy him worse than their last match.

[greenarrow]

Trainer Freddie Roach says

 

Pacquiao is like Stallone’s ‘Rocky’

 

By NICK GIONGCO

 

FREDDIE ROACH sees a strong similarity between the Nov. 18 rubber match pitting Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales with that of the 1985 movie clash between Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, and Ivan Drago, portrayed by Dolph Lundgren.

 

 

"For me, this will be like the movie ‘Rocky’ where Stallone’s opponent undergoes training with a group of experts and doctors but still loses against a natural fighter," Roach told Hispanic fight scribe Ramiro Gonzalez in an article published in the Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion on Monday.

 

Like the muscular Drago who honed his skills using the most modern techniques and facilities, Morales has been training under a team of physical conditioning experts, doctors and dietitians.

 

Roach revealed that just before he went to work the corner of Gerry Peñalosa in El Paso, Texas, Pacquiao had weighed in at 134 lbs, just four lbs over the superfeatherweight limit of 130.

 

Morales tipped the scales at 142 on Friday during an official weigh-in supervised by the World Boxing Council in Mexico City.

 

His training team and even staffers of the Velocity Sports Performance in Los Angeles expressed the belief that Morales is right on track.

 

But some observers say Morales is still behind in his race to meet the weight limit. At 142 pounds with just 25 days remaining before fight night, Morales will have to lose at least a pound every two days to make the limit.

 

"He can do that," said veteran Inquirer sportswriter Recah Trinidad, "but he might be too weak to put up a good fight against Pacquiao who, on the other hand, is just four pounds overweight at the moment."

 

If Morales comes in above the weight limit of 130 lbs, he will pay a fine of 0,000 for each pound that he is overweight. That holds true for Pacquiao, too.

 

Under the contract signed by the two boxers, each fighter can decline to fight, pocket the fine and call it a day.

 

Pacquiao, however, is not inclined to simply taking Morales’ money in the event Morales is overweight. During an interview two months ago, Paquiao said he will still enter the ring because not to do so would make him appear "greedy."

 

Because of Pacquiao’s tremendous performance during workouts and sparring sessions, Roach is confident that the Filipino can easily duplicate or even surpass his 10th round knockout win against the Tijuana native last January.

 

 

 

http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT2006102477919.html

[greenarrow]

Pacquiao, No. 3 din sa Ring Magazine

 

Ang Pilipino STAR Ngayon 10/25/2006

 

Matapos ang isang boxing website, muling pumuwesto sa No. 3 si Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao sa isang popular na boxing magazine sa hanay ng mga pound-for-pound fighters sa buong mundo.

 

Binigyan ng bigat ng Ring Magazine ang mga impresibong panalo ng 27-anyos na si Pacquiao sa mga Mexican boxers.

 

Ang pagiging No. 3 ng 27-anyos na tubong General Santos City sa linya ng mga pound-for-pound fighters sa buong mundo ay nauna nang pinatotohanan ng boxing website na Boxing-talk.com.

 

Inilagay naman ng Ring Magazine si Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera, ang kasalukuyang featherweight champion sa World Boxing Council (WBC), sa No. 6, samantalang wala naman sa Top 10 si dating three-division titlist Erik Morales.

 

Ito ay bunga na rin ng sinasabing kabiguan niya kay Pacquiao sa kanilang rematch noong Enero ng taong ito kung saan siya humalik sa lona sa 10th round ng kanilang super featherweight bout.

 

Nasa maigting na paghahanda ngayon sina Pacquiao at Morales para sa kanilang "Grand Finale" sa Nobyembre 18 sa Thomas & Mack Center sa Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Sakaling manalo si Pacquiao kay Morales sa ikalawang sunod na pagkakataon, tiniyak ng Golden Boy Promotions ni Oscar Dela Hoya na magkakaroon ng Pacquiao-Barrera rematch sa 2007.

 

Tinalo ni Pacquiao si Barrera sa kanilang "People’s Featherweight Championship" noong Nobyembre ng 2003 via 11-round stoppage.

 

Ang listahan ng Top 10 pound-for-pound boxers ng Ring Magazine hanggang Oktubre 22 ay binubuo nina Floyd Mayweather, Winky Wright, Manny Pacquiao, Jermain Taylor, Barnard Hopkins, Marco Antonio Barrera, Rafael Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Jose Luis Castillo at Joe Calzaghe. (RC)

 

 

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/pinoy200610257401.htm

[Kuya!]

Is it true that with 25 days to go til fight night, Morales is still 142 lbs?

[SoulMTC]

500 daya talaga... I plan to watch it pa naman... pero 500 bucks!!!

[greenarrow]

Pacman tips in at 138 ¾ lbs

 

 

 

By Nick Giongco

 

WEARING HIS trunks and pair of boxing shoes, Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 138 ¾ lbs on Wednesday morning (Tuesday afternoon in the US) to pass a requirement by the World Boxing Council for fighters to undergo a pre-fight weigh-in 30 days before their scheduled bout.

 

 

 

"He (Pacquiao) was on the scales wearing his shoes," trainer Freddie Roach said. "His real weight is about 136 (lbs)," added Roach.

 

Rudy Tellez, the WBC’s Southern California representative, supervised the weigh-in held at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

 

Pacquiao’s opponent on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas, Mexican Erik Morales, had been weighed in the presence of WBC Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, over the weekend in Mexico City.

 

Morales, clad in boxer shorts, tipped the scales at 142 lbs, a pound under the maximum weight allowable.

 

The official weigh-in for the two fighters will be held on Nov. 17 at the Wynn Las Vegas, but Pacquiao and Morales would still have to weigh in on Nov. 11 as per WBC rules to determine if they are right on target in their respective bids to cut down on weight.

 

When the WBC weighs the two on Nov. 11, they both should not weigh more than 136 ½ lbs, according to Games and Amusements Board Boxing Division Chief Dr. Nasser Cruz, who has a copy of the correspondence that Sulaiman furnished Pacquiao and Morales’ camps.

 

To make sure Pacquiao does not encounter problems with the scales in the week-before-the-fight weigh-in, Cruz, a member of the WBC’s Medical Advisory Board, will arrive in Los Angeles on Nov. 10 to lend his expertise on the matter.

 

The super-featherweight limit is 130 lbs and Pacquiao has never had any difficulties making it for almost two years now, while Morales has had problems going down to that level.

 

But with experts from Velocity Sports Performance in Los Angeles helping him out, Morales believes he can get the job done and climb the ring in top form

 

 

http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT2006102678098.html

[koolass]

Too much PRIDE for Erik Morales. I think he just can't accept how badly he got beat up by MP the last time. Forget the 130 lbs division and move on to a heavier division where he will be comfortable. I think MP will beat EM again.

[cool_kojie]

I am for Pacquiao all the way! But I have a bad feeling this third time. Feeling ko he will loose. I hope not. Even the gamblers that I know is betting againts him na. Syempre they will win more if MP losses Bad Bad Bad! Hes becoming too showbiz daw kasi. Well Mga Kababayan Lets just pray for him, He makes me proud to be a filipino. A little prayer will go a long way!!!!

[greenarrow]

Pacman weighs 138.75 but Roach not worried

By Abac Cordero

The Philippine Star 10/26/2006

 

Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 138.75 lbs yesterday in Los Angeles but his camp seemed the very least worried about the 130 lbs limit for the Nov. 18 battle with Erik Morales in Las Vegas.

 

The 27-year-old Filipino weighed in at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. According to his chief trainer and gym owner Freddie Roach, Pacquiao tipped the scales wearing shorts and fighting shoes.

 

"His real weight is about 136," said Roach who, like Pacquiao, is not at all worried about the situation.

 

The weigh-in came only 24 days before the big fight at the Thomas and Mack Center.

 

Rudy Tellez of the World Boxing Council supervised the mandatory weigh-in that comes inside 30 days before the fight. Under the rules, a fighter cannot exceed the weight limit by 10 percent 30 days before a fight.

 

Morales, the former three-time world champion, weighed last week in Mexico City. Clad only in cotton shorts, he stood at 142 lbs, and in great danger of meeting the 130 limit.

 

Pacquiao has been training heavily in Los Angeles for over a month now. He came in with no weight problems, unlike Morales who was reportedly at 165 lbs when the fight was sealed last July.

 

Morales spent two months at the high-tech Velocity Training Center in LA for two months, undergoing a weight-reduction program run by at least six international experts.

 

After the fight press conference last Sept. 18 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Morales proceeded to his mountain hideaway, two hours away from Mexico City, for serious road and gym work.

 

Morales said he felt "unbelievably strong" after tipping the scales at 142, although some experts believe that he was merely trying to stay positive despite the fact that he had to lose 12 lbs in less than a month.

 

If indeed Pacquiao is at 136 as Roach claimed, the left-handed slugger only needs to lose a pound every four days and head into the fight practically on a full tank.

 

In contrast, Morales has to shed 12 lbs in less than a month. While it’s definitely possible, the big question is how much power would be left in him by the time he climbs the ring against an in-form Pacquiao.

 

Sanirose Orbeta, the country’s top sports nutritionist, said losing 12 lbs in a month is "precarious because for boxers, we normally allow weight loss of anywhere from four to six pounds in a month."

 

Adding up the pressure was Roach’s recent statement that they wouldn’t fight Morales if the Mexican would come in heavier than 132 lbs during the final and official weigh-in on the eve of the fight.

 

Under the fight contract, Morales would pay Pacquiao $500,000 if the former tips the scale from 130.1 to 131 lbs, and $1 million if he even goes 132 or heavier.

 

Pacquiao will also have the option to take the $1 million and not fight Morales anymore. If Morales comes in heavier than 132, Pacquiao might just take the easy money.

 

And run back home.

 

 

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200610261602.htm

[Kuya!]

I am for Pacquiao all the way! But I have a bad feeling this third time. Feeling ko he will loose. I hope not. Even the gamblers that I know is betting againts him na. Syempre they will win more if MP losses Bad Bad Bad! Hes becoming too showbiz daw kasi. Well Mga Kababayan Lets just pray for him, He makes me proud to be a filipino. A little prayer will go a long way!!!!

 

Same feeling here. I think Pacboy will lose because EM will use his brains this time in order to win the match. He will use his overall ring generalship to run rings around the man from General Santos city.

[cool_kojie]

Same feeling here. I think Pacboy will lose because EM will use his brains this time in order to win the match. He will use his overall ring generalship to run rings around the man from General Santos city.

 

Yup EM is too proud a fighter. It will be a good fight! Go pacman

[ella1152]

yah, let's pray for the best for him' afterall if he'll win this fight, it will bring glory to all the pinoys :cool:

[greenarrow]

Morales, Pacquiao to hype up bout among LA fans

By Abac Cordero

The Philippine Star 10/28/2006

 

To drum up their forthcoming showdown dubbed as "The Grand Finale," Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales have agreed to go the extra mile.

 

According to Ricardo Jimenez, the Mexican publicist of Top Rank Promotions, the two fighters who will square off on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas will have to do some additional legwork.

 

Jimenez said they plan to parade Pacquiao and Morales in Mexican and Filipino communities in Los Angeles a week before the scheduled fight at the Thomas and Mack Center.

 

Pacquiao will take his turn on Nov. 13 or the day before he leaves with his entourage for Sin City.

 

Common practice calls for Pacquiao motoring to Vegas five days before the fight.

 

Morales, on the other hand, will visit the Mexican and Filipino communities on Nov. 14. He arrives from Tijuana to Los Angeles on Nov. 13.

 

In his two previous fights with Pacquiao, the first in March of 2005 at the MGM Grand and the second last January also at the TMC, Morales was flown in straight to Las Vegas from Tijuana.

 

This time, it seemed that the 30-year-old Mexican agreed to drop by Los Angeles first for the promotional sortie before taking his private jet to Las Vegas.

 

The two previous fights between Pacquiao and Morales were certified blockbusters on pay-per-view screen.

 

The third one, actually the decider after a 1-1 standoff, is no different.

 

In fact, a record-breaking 19,835 have answered Top Rank’s "Who Will Win? — Pacquiao of Morales" online poll.

 

So far, the 27-year-old Filipino is way ahead in the polls with 12,438 votes against Morales’ 7,397.

 

With still three weeks left before the fight, the on-line voting has already surpassed the previous high of 16,000 plus that was recorded last January for the Pacquiao-Morales rematch.

 

"Those kind of numbers are another indicator how hot this event is," said Bob Arum of Top Rank. "Ticket sales are phenomenal, as is fan interest."

 

 

 

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200610281602.htm