PacMan's Corner

[Mr KIM]

sana matalo si pacman para manalo ako sa pustahan 50k din yun

[bret_hart]

bukas na to!!

 

GO MANNY!!!!!

[bret_hart]

Dude,i can guaranty you that i am as Filipino as you can get.........its just that im so sick and tired of this Pacquio Mania and his OA attitude etc.....

 

let's face it Manny Pacquiao is one of the best thing that ever happened to our country.

 

lalo na sa time na ganito na sobra-sobra ang problema natin we need something or someone to raise the morale of the Filipinos. gaya ng nangyari nung unag nanalo sa Pacman kay Morales. at least for 2 weeks or more iba ang balita. di puro politika at krimen.

 

wouldn't it be nice kung manalo si Manny bukas? double victory ito pra sa mga pinoy. first panalo si Alcano sa WPC. tapos si Manny naman. let's just support the man. besides pag nanalo si Manny karangalan natin lahat yun di ba?

[buhaychat]

Just want to express my support to the Pacman.

 

I'm in Vegas -- my friends and I will be paying PPV and having a Pacman party at my place.

 

Sana di off topic pero a site I'm maintaining is holding a "CP Pa-LOAD" contest in honor of the Pacman game. Simply enter in your guesses on who wins, what round, and by what way (ie, Pacman wins 7th round TKO). Top 5 early winners (mga unang sumagot) will win a 100php load, while top 1 early winner will get 300php. Just a little something po to show our nationalism.

 

The site for the Pacman CP Pa-Load Contest is at http://www.buhaychat.com

 

Go Pacman!

[moli_calingasan]

Eric cannot match up with manny at 130 pounds... it's good that they made the weigh in requirement... they both tippped the scales at 129... but there's no way eric can beat manny at this division, he'll be dominated by manny for sure. had they agreed at 135 pounds or more, it will be a different story. for sure manny will have a very hard time with morales. eric will be stronger, dominant and more importantly - comfortable... however, this doesn't mean that it's eric that's going to win...

[tobats04]

nanamlay? ako?

 

bading? kanina mo pa kinakausap sarili mo ah. una sinabihan mong bobo ngayon bading naman. easy lang.

 

alam na ng mga tao yan wag mo idikdik na bobot bading ka pa.

 

di kita kinausap. nagreact ka eh

 

yung sinabi kong utak biya nag react ka kagad. di ko kasalanan yun gunggong!

 

ako napahiya? hahaha.isang correction lang napahiya ako? at least alam kong dinraft si holper. e ikaw? die hard fan ka mas di mo alam. bobo.

 

nahihiya lang ako sa mga tao dito

 

ikaw kasi e, napaghalataang utak biya ka talaga. nag react ka eh

 

katapat?sino? wag kang mag feeling. bobo ka talaga.

 

ako go morales!

 

demonyo nako nun dahil ayoko kay pacquiao sabi mo di ba?

 

bading? ungas! eh bakit hindi ka maporma pag binabalikan ka ng mura pag tinitira mo mga posters dito?

nahihiya ka? o napahiya ka dahil walang kumakampi sa yo dito dahil kilala ka na dito na pa-kunyari ka na

disente ka e tumitira ka rin patalikod? tapos pag minura ka pabalik sasabihin mo utak biya? bobo!

 

back read ka nga sa posts mo kung hindi mo ako kinakausap sa reply mo? eh gunggong ka pala eh...

 

eh di takot ka - Morales ka pala eh, bakit hindi mo ipusta yang pagka Morales mo? hindi ko naman sinabing

wag kang mag posts dito - eh kung maka-Morales ka ipusta mo yang sarili mo pag natalo si Morales wag

ka ngang magpost dito kahit kelan? o chicken ka pala eh... mukha kang isaw niyan...

 

dahil alam mo malakas si Manny ngayon at pabor ang panalo kay Manny kahit may mafia ka pang sinasabi...

kaya ka pala ganyan tumira patalikod eh, Mexicanong bading ka pala eh...

[MRyoso]

bading? ungas! eh bakit hindi ka maporma pag binabalikan ka ng mura pag tinitira mo mga posters dito?

nahihiya ka? o napahiya ka dahil walang kumakampi sa yo dito dahil kilala ka na dito na pa-kunyari ka na

disente ka e tumitira ka rin patalikod? tapos pag minura ka pabalik sasabihin mo utak biya? bobo!

 

back read ka nga sa posts mo kung hindi mo ako kinakausap sa reply mo? eh gunggong ka pala eh...

 

eh di takot ka - Morales ka pala eh, bakit hindi mo ipusta yang pagka Morales mo? hindi ko naman sinabing

wag kang mag posts dito - eh kung maka-Morales ka ipusta mo yang sarili mo pag natalo si Morales wag

ka ngang magpost dito kahit kelan? o chicken ka pala eh... mukha kang isaw niyan...

 

dahil alam mo malakas si Manny ngayon at pabor ang panalo kay Manny kahit may mafia ka pang sinasabi...

kaya ka pala ganyan tumira patalikod eh, Mexicanong bading ka pala eh...

 

 

hindi makaporma?hahah ikaw ang bading biya!

 

ano? mukhang ngitngit na ngtngit ka na diyan ah.

 

kasi guiltyng guilty ka sa pagka utak biya mo.

 

hindi ko kelangan ng kakampi. hindi ako naghahanap ng kakampi katulad mo. bakla!

 

bakit naman ako mapapahiya sa mga post ko?

 

e ikaw naman ang bobong nag react?

 

ikaw, kelangan may kakampi. oktilaok. bading!

 

o, siningit mong mafia. sabi ko possibility na ma mafia si manny dahil malakas nga siya.

 

posibleng imanipula ang laban ni manny ng mafia. that has nothing to do with me being against manny.

 

wala ka talgang utak. paikot ikot sinasabi mo. anong kabadingan sa mafia ha bobo?

 

backread, i said im rooting for pacquiao to win this one by my HEART goes for morales.

 

gusto kong manalo si manny dahil pinoy siya, pero paborito ko lahat ng nakakalaban ni pacquiao. d mo parin maintindihan?

 

iba ang sentimental favorite sa gusto at alam mong mananalo

 

yung og morales post ko, sarcastic yun.

 

KAS ACCORDING SA NAPAKALIIT MONG UTAK, PAG AYAW KAY MANNY DEMONYO

 

alam ko, kasi walang laman utak mo

 

hahah. para ka namang bata. porket ayaw kay pacquiao hindi na magpopost dito sa mtc. bakit sayo to?

 

e isa ka lang naman di hamak na tukmol na bobo dito

 

alam ng tao kung ano ako? sige nga, sino sino. bigay ka ng username except sa mga kabaranggay mo.

 

tsaaka wag kang magdamay ng iba. halatang naghahanap k ng smpatiya eh

 

bakit? naiihi ka na ba sa salawal mo?

 

o palda ng nanay mo, tago ka na

 

ikaw ang mag backread.. hindi kita kinakausap directly..

 

ang una kong pinost : may isang poster na naman dito na parang alam lahat. na utak biya

 

e alam mong ikaw yun kaya ka nagreact. :cool:

 

alam mo kasing ikaw lang utak biya dito

 

maging consistent ka naman sa mga sinasabi mo

 

parang yan yung kay holper eh bobo.

 

lalo mong pianapkitang walang laman yang sentido mo kundi puro kabobohan :cool:

[MRyoso]

Just want to express my support to the Pacman.

 

I'm in Vegas -- my friends and I will be paying PPV and having a Pacman party at my place.

 

Sana di off topic pero a site I'm maintaining is holding a "CP Pa-LOAD" contest in honor of the Pacman game. Simply enter in your guesses on who wins, what round, and by what way (ie, Pacman wins 7th round TKO). Top 5 early winners (mga unang sumagot) will win a 100php load, while top 1 early winner will get 300php. Just a little something po to show our nationalism.

 

The site for the Pacman CP Pa-Load Contest is at http://www.buhaychat.com

 

Go Pacman!

 

 

hey! did you see the large screen at wynn hotel showing pacquiao and morales highlights?

 

nakaka kilabot noh?

[Stephen A.]

isang tulog na lang, nakaka-excite ah...

[tobats04]

eh ikaw pala ang gunggong eh... ikaw ang napapahiya sa mga posts mo dahil sarili mong

reply hindi mo alam...

 

gago! ako pa ang nag react eh ikaw sabat ng sabat diyan, tapos sasabihin mo ayaw mo akong

kausapin, kupal!!

 

ako pang bobo, ikaw etong nagmamagaling at napaphiya dahil sa mali-mali mong impormasyon

na ipinagmamalaki mo.. kaya nga mukhang ka tuloy nagkukunwaring henyo na katawa-tawa...

 

wala nang naniniwala sa iyo, gago... mag backread ka nga at sino tinitira mo, bobo... wala kasing

pumapansin sa yo dito, kaya mas natutuwa kang magpatawa para magkunyaring may alam...

 

may pa puso-puso ka pang nalalaman para kay Pacquiao eh hindi naman sapat ang rason mo para

kumampi kay Morales, tapos takot ka ngayon?

 

labas na labas naman na bading... kaso mas mukha ka talagang DEMONYO kasi ang galing magtago ng

buntot sa bahag mo - ay oo bading ka nga pala...

 

hindi makaporma?hahah ikaw ang bading biya!

 

ano? mukhang ngitngit na ngtngit ka na diyan ah.

 

kasi guiltyng guilty ka sa pagka utak biya mo.

 

hindi ko kelangan ng kakampi. hindi ako naghahanap ng kakampi katulad mo. bakla!

 

bakit naman ako mapapahiya sa mga post ko?

 

e ikaw naman ang bobong nag react?

 

ikaw, kelangan may kakampi. oktilaok. bading!

 

o, siningit mong mafia. sabi ko possibility na ma mafia si manny dahil malakas nga siya.

 

posibleng imanipula ang laban ni manny ng mafia. that has nothing to do with me being against manny.

 

wala ka talgang utak. paikot ikot sinasabi mo. anong kabadingan sa mafia ha bobo?

 

backread, i said im rooting for pacquiao to win this one by my HEART goes for morales.

 

gusto kong manalo si manny dahil pinoy siya, pero paborito ko lahat ng nakakalaban ni pacquiao. d mo parin maintindihan?

 

iba ang sentimental favorite sa gusto at alam mong mananalo

 

yung og morales post ko, sarcastic yun.

 

KAS ACCORDING SA NAPAKALIIT MONG UTAK, PAG AYAW KAY MANNY DEMONYO

 

alam ko, kasi walang laman utak mo

 

hahah. para ka namang bata. porket ayaw kay pacquiao hindi na magpopost dito sa mtc. bakit sayo to?

 

e isa ka lang naman di hamak na tukmol na bobo dito

 

alam ng tao kung ano ako? sige nga, sino sino. bigay ka ng username except sa mga kabaranggay mo.

 

tsaaka wag kang magdamay ng iba. halatang naghahanap k ng smpatiya eh

 

bakit? naiihi ka na ba sa salawal mo?

 

o palda ng nanay mo, tago ka na

 

ikaw ang mag backread.. hindi kita kinakausap directly..

 

ang una kong pinost : may isang poster na naman dito na parang alam lahat. na utak biya

 

e alam mong ikaw yun kaya ka nagreact. :cool:

 

alam mo kasing ikaw lang utak biya dito

 

maging consistent ka naman sa mga sinasabi mo

 

parang yan yung kay holper eh bobo.

 

lalo mong pianapkitang walang laman yang sentido mo kundi puro kabobohan :cool:

[moli_calingasan]

eh ikaw pala ang gunggong eh... ikaw ang napapahiya sa mga posts mo dahil sarili mong

reply hindi mo alam...

 

gago! ako pa ang nag react eh ikaw sabat ng sabat diyan, tapos sasabihin mo ayaw mo akong

kausapin, kupal!!

 

ako pang bobo, ikaw etong nagmamagaling at napaphiya dahil sa mali-mali mong impormasyon

na ipinagmamalaki mo.. kaya nga mukhang ka tuloy nagkukunwaring henyo na katawa-tawa...

 

wala nang naniniwala sa iyo, gago... mag backread ka nga at sino tinitira mo, bobo... wala kasing

pumapansin sa yo dito, kaya mas natutuwa kang magpatawa para magkunyaring may alam...

 

may pa puso-puso ka pang nalalaman para kay Pacquiao eh hindi naman sapat ang rason mo para

kumampi kay Morales, tapos takot ka ngayon?

 

labas na labas naman na bading... kaso mas mukha ka talagang DEMONYO kasi ang galing magtago ng

buntot sa bahag mo - ay oo bading ka nga pala...

 

Gud pm brothers.... why don't you put a stop to this... besides nga pare, mag pinoy tayo... but if both of you can't, why don't yu meet up to settle this once nd for all... i'll be more than willing to join you... what do you think!!!!

[^Tim^]

well...so much to the bashin n tauntin herre hehehe

 

how time flies... bukas na... D-Day to Pinoy fans....

 

Good luck Pacman... patumbahin mo si Erik at gawin mong terible :boo: para masaya ang Pasko nating lahat... hehehe...

[Mr KIM]

matatalo dito si pacman maganda gawin nya magsabong nalang kay

morales na boxing :cool:

[clubber_lang]

I do think that a part of Manny is doing this for his Filipino fans.

 

If Manny wins tomorrow, a lot of folks would be smiling, let's face it.

 

So hoping Manny Pacquiao wins tomorrow!

[edc]

Sa laban mamaya. Tama na muna na Pinoy vs Mexican. Hindi naman ito labanan ng mga lahi.

 

Ang Kwarta ko kay Morales. Napatumba nya si Pacman sa unang laban. Walang Weight issue.

 

2nd Match nanalo Pacman dahil may "Weight issue" Morales.

 

Si Morales complete na yung Boxing Skills. Si Pacman pasimula pa lang.

 

Tataka ako dun sa pustahan bakit sobrang dehado si Morales. Tingin ba nila kay Morales eh si Chololo?

 

Pag kay Morales ang taya swerte pag nanalo. Pag kay Manny kasi ang Liit ng Mapapanalunan. Hindi naman Ampaw na Boxingero si Morales.

 

Pati sa tayaan na disrespect si Morales as a Boxer. Pero ok lng kasi yung calibre ni Morales malaki chance manalo bukas.

Edited November 18, 2006 by edc

[clubber_lang]

Maybe because it seems like Morales is on his last legs. He has aged real fast because of his brutal fights. Plus his ace to make the weight might take its toll on him.

[axlrose]

Who's the winner?

[RJ_Slater]

The trilogy is almost there within the next several hours. Wonder if you guys can update me on the blow by blow account as I’m swamped by a lot of things here in my office. Do you know any website or forum that will provide such updates?

 

Also, is there anyone from the flip community here in the US that can provide mirroring on the said boxing bout, appreciate any response on this.

 

 

Go Pacman!

 

 

Thanks!

[assasin]

eh ikaw pala ang gunggong eh... ikaw ang napapahiya sa mga posts mo dahil sarili mong

reply hindi mo alam...

 

gago! ako pa ang nag react eh ikaw sabat ng sabat diyan, tapos sasabihin mo ayaw mo akong

kausapin, kupal!!

 

ako pang bobo, ikaw etong nagmamagaling at napaphiya dahil sa mali-mali mong impormasyon

na ipinagmamalaki mo.. kaya nga mukhang ka tuloy nagkukunwaring henyo na katawa-tawa...

 

wala nang naniniwala sa iyo, gago... mag backread ka nga at sino tinitira mo, bobo... wala kasing

pumapansin sa yo dito, kaya mas natutuwa kang magpatawa para magkunyaring may alam...

 

may pa puso-puso ka pang nalalaman para kay Pacquiao eh hindi naman sapat ang rason mo para

kumampi kay Morales, tapos takot ka ngayon?

 

labas na labas naman na bading... kaso mas mukha ka talagang DEMONYO kasi ang galing magtago ng

buntot sa bahag mo - ay oo bading ka nga pala...

hey guys easy lang lets enjoy the fight :cool:

[greenarrow]

Day of reckoning

 

Pacquaio fights Morales for third time

 

By NICK GIONGCO

 

LAS VEGAS — Despite his many triumphs, Manny Pacquiao is still seen by some individuals in the sport of boxing as being one-dimensional.

 

 

Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila), Pacquiao gets the chance not only to prove them all wrong but to give credence to men who would someday mention his name in the same breath as those of the fight game’s all-time greats.

 

Pacquiao clashes for the third time with Erik Morales before a sellout crowd of 17,000 fans at the Thomas and Mack Center and more than 14,000 miles away in his homeland of the Philippines, traffic is going to stand still, morning church-goers will opt to attend the afternoon service and the crime rate in the hours the fight is being shown on TV should register a zero incidence.

 

While the atmosphere in Sin City would remain lively and upbeat as during other weekends, the arena where Pacquiao and Morales will slug it out will be rocked to its foundations as they both promised to put on show that ringsiders believe the two could give.

 

"This is it. Heto na ang pinakahihintay natin," said Pacquiao three hours after weighing-in officially at 129 lbs.

 

"Suntukan na," said Pacquiao, looking very calm and confident the scheduled 12-rounder will go his way.

 

"Para magka-alaman na kung totoo yung sinasabi niya (Morales)," said the 27-year-old southpaw.

 

Pacquiao was obviously referring to Morales’ claims that the reason why he lost by 10th round knockout last January was that he did not train properly and he was more exhausted than stung by Pacquiao’s punches.

 

Morales, however, did not look like someone who was slated to go to war in 24 hours as he showed up during the weigh-in as if he had gone on a hunger strike. To get down to such level, Morales had to undergo a weight reduction program at the Velocity Sports Performance in Los Angeles.

 

The 30-year-old Tijuana native, who had previously won world titles in three weight categories, including the 130-lb category, also tipped in at 129 lbs, which surprised a lot of jaded observers of the sport.

 

Unlike in the rematch, Morales did not even have to take off his underwear when he stepped on the scales as he was wearing a light-colored boxer shorts.

 

When it was declared that he had made it, Morales pointed to his flexed right arm to signal that he was A-Okay, sending the pro-Morales gallery into a frenzy which gathered at the Cox Concourse inside the UNLV campus.

 

Pacquiao was actually roundly booed when he surfaced wearing a jacket, jogging pants and sandals and shortly after weighing in, he flexed his muscles as he had done in previous weigh-ins to the delight of his fans who were bunched together with their Mexican counterparts.

 

When Pacquiao and Morales were told to pose beside each other, the two did not shake hands and did not even bother to look at each other as though the slight glance would prompt one of them to strike.

 

——————

 

NOTES: Manny Pacquiao ate beef nilaga, chicken, rice and fruits after the weighin. He was scheduled to eat another meal just before hitting the sack and should be around 140 lbs when he gets up the ring… In a rarity, Pacquiao requested that autograph-signing be halted momentarily so he could relax his hands. Inside his room, people came in holding boxing memorabilia and other stuff... Vic Drakulich will be the third man on the ring while the three judges are Glenn Towbridge, Duane Ford and Guido Cavlieri. The fight supervisors are Rex Walker and Robert Lenhardt… Brian Viloria will try to regain his WBC light-flyweight title against Omar Nino Romero in the undercard. Two other Filipinos are seeing action. They are super-bantamweights Ernel Fontanilla and Bernabe Concepcion.

 

http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT2006111980132.html

[Nekromantik]

pacman pa rin! :evil:

[buknoy]

mga bosing... d2 kasi ako singapore and nd kinover ng cable subscriber ang laban nina manny at eric... meron b tau site n pwde mapanood ung fight..thanks in advnace... goodlack manny......

[juicer]

ERIK'S LAST STAND?

by Ron Borges

 

The price of the life he has chosen hangs from the sad-eyed edges of Erik Morales' high cheekbones. He is an old man at 30.

 

On Nov. 18, one of the greatest Aztec warriors Mexico has ever produced will try mightily to turn back the clock when he steps into the ring at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas to face Manny Pacquiao for the third and final time. Unlike their first two meetings, few people expect things to go well for Morales, who was stopped by Pacquiao in January after 10 grueling rounds in which Morales aged noticeably from the first bell to the moment referee Kenny Bayless had to step in and rescue him before Pacquiao damaged him further. It was the third time in his last four fights that Morales had been beaten and each defeat was more one-sided than its predecessor, a universal sign in boxing that the cruelest sport has left you behind.

 

It has been 10 months since that night though, time enough for a proud man who has defeated everyone worth the challenge since he first turned professional 14 years ago to suffer with boxing's most necessary malady - amnesia. He has forgotten all about Pacquiao standing over him after twice driving him to the floor. He has forgotten the pain, the bruises and the need to wear dark glasses when the moon was out. That is what great fighters must do. They must forget the past if they are to have a future.

 

Certainly no one knows that more than Morales, who has been a professional since the day he slipped between the ropes at age 16 in a bullring in Tijuana and beat up a kid named Marco Tovar at a time when no one knew much about either of them. It has been over 14 years since then and between Tovar and a third battle with Pacquiao, Morales has faced 52 men and beaten 48 of them. Until two years ago, Marco Antonio Barrera, himself a Mexican legend, was the only fighter to ever get the better of Morales but then began the hard rain that seems to hit all fighters, great and not so great, when the end is near. It has been a storm of punches, the kind one can no longer shake so easily at Morales' weather-beaten advanced years.

 

They came from Barrera again, who won a majority decision in a hotly disputed rubber match with Morales almost exactly two years ago to the night he will face Pacquiao for a third time. They came from a nondescript former U.S. Olympian named Zahir Raheem when Morales decided to move up to lightweight after struggling for too long to keep his protesting body at 130 pounds following his win over Pacquiao last year.

 

It was against Raheem that things began to unravel noticeably, for much was still expected of Morales that night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Much was expected but nothing was there and Morales lost a one-sided unanimous decision in which one of the judges awarded him only two rounds. It was then that the debate began over whether he was suddenly damaged goods at 29 or simply a man who went one weight class above his limitations after having become only the second Mexican fighter to win world titles in three different weight classes. Julio Cesar Chavez had been the first, the grande campion of grande campions in Mexico. To be in the same discussion with Chavez was enough for Morales, who had grown up idolizing him as nearly every Mexican fighter of the past 20 years has.

 

Wisely he quickly moved back to 130 to try and re-establish himself last January after three months rest. Unwisely he chose Pacquiao as his foil, perhaps believing nothing would change from when he had outpointed the powerful Filipino former world champion 10 months earlier.

 

Like all fighters, Morales has explanations for the disaster that befell him that night. He talks of weight problems and turmoil within his camp that led to his father not being in his corner for the first time in his career. He talks of being ill-prepared and weakened by his fight with the scales, the battle that preceded the actual one with Pacquiao. They sound like excuses and perhaps they are but fighters live in a world of denial and self-delusion. It can be no other way, for if they were realists they would have taken day jobs long ago rather than risk themselves in so savage a work place.

 

So while the boxing world now doubts Erik Morales, he rationalizes away what other's eyes tell them, insisting he has never been more ready to fight. Never more fit. Never more lean. Never more hungry. It is what old champions tell themselves when the shadows have begun to lengthen and they are hoping for one more bright morning before the winter of their career arrives.

 

"The first fight (with Pacquiao) I needed the win,'' Morales (48-4, 34 KO) said from his training camp in Mexico. "I needed to get back credibility (after losing by majority decision to Barrera in that third fight). I prepared myself well and it showed. The second fight I made too many changes in my camp. This fight we went back to basics.

 

"I know what people are saying. Anybody can write or say what they want. It's just words. Pacquiao says I'm an old man. That I'm done. I'll prove what I am on Nov. 18. I will show I can still be at the top level.''

 

Defiant words from someone who has convinced many men they were ill-advised to step in with him but they are also coming from the mouth of a scarred fighter who has fought many battles. Too many in the opinion of most people in boxing for there are limits, the old trainers and fight guys understand, even to greatness.

 

Greatness erodes slowly, like hard flint, but with time and the consequences of winning great battles in the manner Morales has so often won them, pieces of a man are chipped away and left behind in arenas around the world. They are pieces that cannot be replaced, gifts given away in the pursuit of excellence in the boxing ring.

 

Victory has often come at the cost of bruising, exhaustion and the spilling of Morales' own blood, and it has been his willingness to pay that price which has made him a legend in Mexico and with anyone who fancies the kind of fights super bantamweights, featherweights and super featherweights so often engage in. It is hand-to-hand warfare of a primal nature that has been Morales' calling card all these years, but there is a price that is extracted for walking such a road. If you survive it for as long as he has, you may become a star but at 30 your star may already be in nova.

 

Morales understands this for he has not lived this life blindly. He has taken advantage of old champions himself years ago, never thinking one day he might be on the opposite side of that equation. Pacquiao, only three years his junior but far less used up despite having been stopped twice himself early in his career, is among those who believes it is his time now, not Erik Morales'. He has youth, strength and punching power on his side, plus confidence born from having left Morales helpless on the floor 11 months ago, badly beaten and defenseless at the end.

 

For Morales then, Nov. 18 will be a night of high pressure. To lose again to an elite opponent, to lose for the fourth time in his last five fights, will be a signal that there is no place to go but back home to Tijuana to ponder a life without rationalizations. At this point, he can still tell himself of too many changes in his camp and too much weight to lose in too short a time and believe it is all true. But to be bested by Pacquiao a second time would leave him with little room for self-delusion.

 

He might fight on despite another defeat but no longer would he still believe he is who he once was. At least not in the dark hours before dawn, when he is alone with his aches and pains and the undeniable presence of a string of losses where once there was nothing but victory.

 

That is for another night however, a night he doesn't believe will come on Nov. 18. "El Terible," "The Terrible One,'' as he is known in Mexican boxing circles, thinks nothing of that fate because he sees no such outcome. He sees a different Morales this time, one who is fit and ready, with his father behind him and nothing in front of him that he doesn't know how to handle.

 

"I'm going to be as ready as I've ever been to fight,'' he insists.

 

"I feel very good. I feel no pressure. I know what I needed to do and I done it. I don't see why there should be any pressure on me. I took a long time to drop weight this time. I know I'll be real strong.

 

"Everyone knows I had trouble making the weight. As you get older you have to be more conscious of that. That's why I took so long to get ready.

 

I've heard him say I'm not going to make 130. Well, as far as I'm concerned there is going to be a fight on Nov. 18. I hope he's ready for one.''

 

Pacquiao will be but perhaps not for the Morales he will be facing.

 

This Morales has spent months working with a exercise physiologist named Jorgen Persson, who works for Velocity Sports Performance. That's a West L.A. fitness training outfit who Morales' promoter, Bob Arum, insisted he work with at his training camp at the Otomi High Altitude Training Center in the mountains above Toluca, Mexico to slowly reduce his weight without losing his strength.

 

Morales trained there without Persson for his first fight with Morales and won but chose not to return there to prepare for the rematch and suffered first a battle with his weight and then one with Pacquiao that he could not handle. Now he has gone back to the mountains with his father and a new fitness expert and the result has been a gradual weight loss that will have him only two pounds over the 130-pound super featherweight limit when he arrives in Las Vegas a week before the fight. What that truly means is anyone's guess but this time Morales believes he will be as ready as he can be. He will be at his optimum. Whether he will still be "El Terible''

 

is another matter however, one that Manny Pacquiao and the ravages of time will have an opinion on, too. "I'll try to do the best I can,'' Morales said. "I'll try to give everyone a show. No one has ever booed me out of the ring. That's not going to happen to me. I've taken this very seriously.

 

"This is a very important fight I know I need to win. Without a doubt I've been in a lot of very tough fights along the road but a lot of my (past) problems have been from making weight. For this fight I feel very good. When I look at myself, I look very good. We'll see how I look Nov. 18. Then we'll decide what I do next.''

 

Not even Erik Morales knows what that will be but he does know one thing. He knows what he will do come Nov. 18 in Las Vegas. He will do what he has always done. The old warrior will fight until he can fight no more.

 

 

 

 

 

Bert Randolph Sugar, called "Boxing's Foremost Historian", is the author of "Boxing's Greatest Fighters," Published by The Lyons Press and available at Border's, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com

[h3atman]

any live feeds?

[juicer]

PACQUIAO NATION

by Nat Gottlieb

 

Manny Pacquiao is more than just a national hero in the Philippines. In a country where turmoil sometimes seems a never ending story, Pacquiao is the only person among 87 million Filipinos with the power to unite the nation. At 5'-6 1/2 , that's a tall order.

 

When Pacquiao fought Erik Morales for the second time last January, this is what happened in the Philippines:

 

- Police reported a crime rate of nearly zero in major Filipino cities during the hours leading up to the fight and after.

 

- Normally congested streets in every city in the country were deserted.

 

- Politicians who rarely agree on anything, sat side-by-side with adversaries in movie theatres across the country to watch the fight broadcast.

 

- On free TV, the Filipino network which aired the bout broke all existing national records, with virtually 100 per cent of the country's TVs tuned in.

 

Filipino senator Jinggoy Estrada, son of a former president, loves to watch Pacquiao fight, but is quick to put Manny's bouts in a larger arena.

 

"Right now the Philippines is getting a lot of negative publicity, especially politically, and Manny serves as an ambassador of good will who can tell the whole world the Philippines can make it, that we will succeed," Sen. Estrada said.

 

The Pacquiao Effect is recognized -- and benignly exploited -- by politicians of every party, all of whom are understandably eager to announce a good news break from the bad.

 

After Pacquiao upset Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, for example, he was given a Congressional Medal of Achievement in Congress, marked by these words in the House from Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri:

 

"Manny Pacquiao has united our people under one flag, inspiring hope and national reconciliation and pride in being a Filipino amidst the uncertainties, challenges and hardships we are currently facing."

 

Pacquiao is many things, but he is not a miracle worker. Even a troubled nation returns to "normal" when the glow of a Pacquiao victory wears off. As Senator Estrada laments, "It is unfortunate that Manny cannot fight every day."

 

Even while still exuberant over the Morales victory, politicos quickly found something to argue about. Filipino TV columnist Donna Corpin wrote on ClickTheCity.com that, "When he came home last Friday, a hero's welcome was laid out. But then the confetti hadn't even hit the pavement before mayors started bickering over the cities he would parade in, and other leaders began debating whether it's proper to appoint Manny in a peacekeeping capacity in government."

 

"When he beat Morales," Sen. Estrada said, "all the mayors wanted to show him off, but ultimately it was Manny's decision where he wanted to go."

 

For a country that was occupied by the Spaniards, Japanese and Americans, Pacquiao is a rare Filipino commodity: a world conqueror. His parade through Manila brought the entire city to a halt. "Everybody likened it to the Pope coming to visit," said Dyan Castillejo, a Filipino TV sports show host who has done numerous documentaries on Pacquiao.

 

While vehicular traffic may have disappeared where ever Pacquiao toured, the effect was fleeting, noted Filipino blogger, Kates Gasis:

 

"Iloilo City is busy, even on Sundays. But not today. Cars are so spare that it feels like Holy Week. It's really the Pacquiao factor that's responsible for this phenomena. (But) Cars began pouring into the streets just minutes after Manny was declared winner of the match."

 

The flip-side of "National Pacquiao Unity" is woe be the one who has the audacity to pick his opponent to win.

 

Homer Sayson, a reporter based in Chicago for the Filipino paper Sun.Star Cebu, noted what happened to a columnist who didn't tout Pacquiao. "For the last Morales fight, one writer picked Morales and got a lot of death threats," Sayson said. "They would call his house in the middle of the night, challenge him to fistfights and say bad things about his daughter."

 

Sayson, who covers the Chicago Bulls for basketball fanatics back home, made the same mistake himself once. "I picked Barrera to win because he had fought so much better competition," Sayson said. "I got many nasty emails, but I was in Chicago, what could they do to me."

 

But even safely tucked in Bulls country, Sayson discovered that in his own, to err is human, but to apologize is divine -- and imperative.

 

"I cover all Manny's fights in America, but my wife was in delivery and I couldn't go. After the fight, Manny called the delivery room to see how she was doing and I apologized to him. I also had to write an apology to my readers in the newspaper," Sayson said.

 

Pacquiao, who came from very humble beginnings, does more than just give hope to people, he hands out financial aid, both through a foundation he has set up, and at his house. "A friend of mine spent two weeks with Manny at his house in General Santos City," Sayson said. "And he told me every single day 300 people would line up outside and come in the house asking for help paying their bills. All they need to get money from Manny is show proof of the bills."

 

While Pacquiao fought just twice in both 2004 and 2005, and twice so far this year going into Saturday night's third bout with Morales, he is never far from his countryman's thoughts because of his endless list of "distractions."

 

Virtually not a day goes by when the name Pacquiao is off the front pages in the Philippines. Everything Pacquiao does, from the major to the trivial, gets some ink. It's news every time Pacquiao shoots a commercial, signs a recording deal, or stays out all night playing pool and going to cockfights. A few months ago his hyperactivity caught up to him and he ended up in a hospital for a couple days. The media blanketed that story while the nation prayed for his recovery. All he had was fatigue.

 

Like the late Princess Diane, or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Pacquiao is a hot gossip item. When Pacquiao slipped to No. 2 recently on a popular internet pound-for-pound list, it prompted this item in The Manila Standard Today:

 

"The news that Pacquiao had slipped to No. 2 came even as a posting on the Pacquiao website said he had been seen nightly at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. But Standard Today learned that the report was factually inaccurate and that Pacquiao goes to the Commerce Casino to play poker on Saturdays with some of his so-called LA Boys, since he doesn't train on Sundays. Another report from LA claimed that Pacquiao yesterday bought a brand-new Mercedes Benz valued at some $150,000."

 

The most stunning example of the Pacquiao Effect is on crime. After Pacquiao beat Morales, the Standard Today reported: "Metro Manila enjoyed a crime-free day Sunday as neighborhood thugs, snatchers and other assorted felons stayed home to watch the big fight on TV, police said."

 

The Larios fight, which was in held in the Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila, broke a city crime record. The Philippine National Police reported that for the first time ever there was a seven-hour, zero-crime rate in all precincts of the city."

 

Pacquiao certainly is aware of the effect he has on his nation, and takes it as a personal responsibility to win for his people.

 

"After the Larios fight," Castillejo said, "Manny told us (media) that what really made him proud was that people in the arena were sitting side by side cheering no matter what party they were in, or what their beliefs were. He has told me many times, one of his goals is to help as many people as he can."

 

There has even been talk of Pacquiao running for public office, and while he downplays the possibility, those close to him know he is thinking about it.

 

Sen. Estrada is well aware of the political benefits that can be reaped from fame. Besides being the son of a president, Estrada was an actor in his 20s and won the Filipino equivalent of an Academy Award for best supporting actor. Although Pacquiao's fame is much greater, Sen. Estrada does not think the fighter should venture into the political arena.

 

"I have advised Manny not to enter politics because it is not his turf, his forte," Sen. Estrada said. "I told him to concentrate on his profession and bring more honors to his country."

 

How long Pacquiao can fight at the elite level and continue to benefit his nation is a topic of concern in the Philippines. Although just 27, Pacquiao has been in 47 fights, many of them wars. The wear and tear was noticeable to Sayson after Pacquiao laid a beating on Morales in January.

 

"I was one of two writers who got invited up to his room after the fight," Sayson said. "His hands were so big and swollen, and his jaw hurting so bad, he couldn't shake anybody's hands or eat with a knife and fork for an hour and a half. All he could eat was bread dipped in milk."

 

Pacquiao has lost just once in the last seven years, a close decision to Morales last year, but the possibility is always there when you fight against the best in the game. What would the reaction be in the Philippines if he lost to Morales this time?

 

"We would be very frustrated," Sen. Estrada said, "but we would still consider him one of the greatest fighters and respect him as our national hero. But honestly, I don't entertain the idea of him losing to Morales."

 

What ever the outcome, when Pacquiao enters the ring in the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday night in Las Vegas, for as long as the fight lasts, the Philippines will be a nation united. That is a victory in itself.

 

 

 

 

ONE MORE IN THE CHAMBER: FIVE OLD CHAMPIONS WHO PROVED YOU JUST NEVER KNOW

by William Dettloff

 

The most commonly held view going into the rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales, which will air on November 18 on HBO PPV, is that Morales is damaged goods. It's not just that Pacquiao stopped him in their second fight, last January - the only stoppage loss of Morales' career - because there's no shame in getting stopped by a whirlwind like Pacquiao.

 

It's also that Morales has one win in his last four fights and it doesn't even matter to most that the lone win came at Pacquiao's expense in their first meeting. Indeed, that is little comfort to Morales' supporters, who, like many in the business, suspect that all the hard fights and hard camps have worn down "El Terrible. " That although he's a mere 30 years old, he's an old 30 and ready to be put out to pasture.

 

That belief may or may not be accurate but even if you subscribe to it, know that all hope is not lost. Throughout history, great prizefighters - and clearly Morales qualifies - who are near the end have frequently pulled off one last great performance against the odds. Just when we think they are ready to fall over the edge, they summon the old reflexes and the old punch and squeeze one more great act out of their tired limbs.

 

There was no reason to think that Bob Fitzsimmons, for example, had anything left, when, at 40 years old, he signed to fight young George Gardner for the light heavyweight world title. It had been 12 years since Fitzsimmons had won the middleweight crown by beating Jack Dempsey (Nonpareil) in 1891 and six since he'd won the heavyweight title with his famous solar plexus knockout of Jim Corbett. Two knockout losses to heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries had effectively finished him as a top-flight fighter, or so it was thought. But "Ruby Robert" had one more big win left in him.

 

Spotting Gardner 16 years, Fitzsimmons fought smartly, conserving his energy whenever necessary. Punching in spurts, he still managed to outfight Gardner over the 20-round distance, knocking him down four times and winning his third world title. He lost the belt in his first defense and never won another big fight even though he fought on another 10 years.

 

Roberto Duran never won the light heavyweight title, but he did claim the middleweight belt in his last great moment at the top of the game. By the start of 1984, most thought his career was in free fall. Though he'd given middleweight king Marvin Hagler a tougher-than expected fight the year before, he'd been nearly decapitated by Thomas Hearns in his next bout, took off a full year, then was decisioned by Robbie Sims, Hagler's brother and a mostly pedestrian 160-pounder.

 

Duran put together a modest winning streak against journeymen when he got a shot at WBC middleweight king Iran Barkley. Duran was 37 years old, 20 pounds over his best fighting weight and a clear underdog. Nevertheless, he put on a superb display in The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year and took the title with a thrilling split decision win. "It was his heart," Barkley said afterward. "It just wouldn't go." It was the last great performance of Duran's career. Losses to Sugar Ray Leonard and Pat Lawlor followed and Duran never won another big fight, though he fought for 12 more years.

 

Though he was a 2-1 favorite, many people thought Muhammad Ali would again be out-hustled and outfought by upstart Leon Spinks in their rematch in New Orleans in 1978. Ali was dreadful while losing the title in their first match, looking every bit his 36 years as Spinks, a novice with only seven pro fights, out-punched him at every turn. Many wanted Ali to retire afterward and much of the money that came in for him was bet with the heart rather than the head.

 

Ali knew he had one more great win left in him if he got in shape, so he did just that. And in front of 70,000 fans at the Superdome, he turned back the clock far enough to whip an under-prepared and frustrated Spinks outright and claim the heavyweight title for the third time. "To out-move, out-maneuver, out-stamina a young man of 25, just seven months after he beat me and they all said I was finished, too old, this is satisfying," Ali said. It was his last night of magic. Ali's subsequent showings against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick were nightmares.

 

By 1958, Sugar Ray Robinson was 36 years old, had won and lost the middleweight title four times and in his last fight had been dethroned by the human buzz saw, Carmen Basilio. He'd been a pro 18 years already, been in with Jake LaMotta five times, Gene Fullmer twice, not to mention Joey Maxim, Bobo Olson, and all the other great welterweights and middleweights of the last couple decades. You couldn't blame him for being tired, for knowing he was near the end even if he didn't want to believe it.

 

You couldn't blame either the fans who thought Basilio, a hardened but spry 30 years old himself, would outfight and out-gut the old dancing genius like he'd done the first time. He had the right style to do it, the fortitude, and he hated Robinson's guts. That was good fuel. But it didn't come together. Robinson had just enough of the old stuff left to swell up Basilio's left eye like a turnip and it gave him the edge he needed to outbox Basilio over the distance and win the middleweight title for the fifth time. He lost the title to Paul Pender afterward and never won another title bout.

 

The 1992 version of Larry Holmes was light years removed from the one who had ruled the heavyweights throughout the '80s. Six years had passed since Michael Spinks had dethroned him. Mike Tyson destroyed him in '88. There was every reason to believe Ray Mercer, the crude but undefeated puncher who had just decimated Tommy Morrison, would walk right through him on his way to a title shot. But Holmes, at 42 years old, had one great night left in him.

 

Call it a poor man's Rope-a-Dope. Throughout their 12-round fight in Atlantic City, Holmes lay on the ropes and in corners and allowed Mercer to flail away at him. Still all arms and elbows, Holmes blocked most of what Mercer had to offer and repeatedly stung him with straight right-hand counters. At the end of 12 rounds he walked away with a clear decision win, and performed well enough against champion Evander Holyfield in his next fight. But he never fought again as well as he had against Mercer. It was his last very good win in a fight he had no business winning.

 

Whether Morales is as far past his best as some of these fighters were remains to be seen. Even if he is, he still may have one left in the chamber for Pacquiao. You just never know.