LAS VEGAS, Jan. 21 – A bigger, stronger, smarter, and more focused Manny Pacquiao than has ever been seen in the ring gradually and dramatically wore down and stopped Erik Morales in the 10th round of an electrifying rematch before 14,618 fans at the Thomas & Mack Arena to even up their series at 1-1 and impossibly raise his icon status in his native Philippines even higher.
After struggling to find range and mount a sustained attack in the first five rounds of intense back-and-forth action that he often got the worst of, Pacquiao found his stride in the sixth round – using timing, feints and combinations to set up his lightening-fast power shots – and then dominated the following rounds with intensity and intelligence until twice dropping the ever-game Morales in the 10th round, prompting referee Kenny Bayless to wisely step in and wave the contest off at 2:33 of the round, just seconds after the second knockdown.
Up until Bayless called it off, Pacquiao’s fanatical followers had to hold their breath as numerous times throughout the bout, just when it appeared that Pacquiao was about to overwhelm Morales, the hard-nosed Mexican would come back and stun their hero. It happened in the second round, when Pacquiao, now 41-3-1 (32), landed a series of lefts that hurt Morales and sent him stumbling back into the ropes. Morales, now 48-4 (34), waved Pacquiao in as if to say “Bring it!” and then fired back, driving the Filipino icon into the ropes. It happened in the fourth round, after Pacquiao appeared to briefly stun Morales at the start of the round only to get knocked off balance by a counter punch.
Of course, this was to be expected from these two warriors. They have fighting styles and mentalities that ensure that when they step into the ring vs. one another the result is as good as it gets in boxing – non-stop two-way action.
However, in the sixth round the benefits of the best training camp of Pacquiao’s career began to show. Coming into this rematch, Pacquiao did not have to deal with the drama that his former promoter, Murad Muhammad, used to invite by messing with the three-division champ’s purse money, fight tickets, hotel rooms and contractual agreements (such as the kind of gloves he could wear — for this fight he got to wear his favored Reyes-brand mitts). Pacquiao also had a closed camp from his legion of L.A.-based Filipino admirers. Possibly for the first time in his career, he was able to focus on the instructions and game plans laid out by trainer Freddie Roach. And possibly for the first time, Pacquiao carried out those plans and instructions 100%.
Pacquiao did not rely on his speed, power and reflexes (in the form of his big left hand). He was a two handed fighter tonight. His right hook did as much damage as his vaunted straight left. He mixed his punches up well to the body and hand, and he worked Morales’ mid-section consistently throughout the nine and half rounds of action. He paced himself. He picked his spots. He landed lead power punches to the body and head and flurried when appropriate. He did all of this with the kind of poise and accuracy expected of an elite fighter. Gone were the manic charges and retreats of the first fight with Morales. This version of Pacquiao was not nearly as easy to anticipate and time with counter punches.
Still, even after looking the best he’s ever looked vs. Morales in rounds six and seven, the Tijuana native managed to give him hell in the late rounds, despite absorbing the majority of punishment. In the eighth round, Pacquiao hurt Morales early, driving the Mexican into the ropes, but the three-division champ may have been playing possum as he suckered his antagonist into a counter right. Furious exchanges ensued, but it was Morales, who didn’t seem to enjoy the edge in size that he did in their first encounter, who was repeatedly hurt.
Even in the fateful 10th round, Morales was able to hurt Pacquiao with a right before absorbing the salvo from from the Filipino hero that put him down for the first time. Utter chaos mixed with absolute joy broke out in the Thomas & Mack arena following the precise combination that put Morales down again, and the Filipino fans quite literally exploded out of their seats when Bayless called a halt to what had become an unnecessary beating.
The knockdowns that Morales suffered in round 10 were the first times he’s really been decked in a pro fight (the 12th round of his first fight with Barrera was more a slip or flash knockdown). And, of course, the stoppage itself was the first time Morales was knocked out in a hall-of-fame career. Maybe all the ring wars have finally caught up with “El Terrible”. But a more likely reason for his loss is that he was beaten by the better fighter tonight.
The co-featured bout of the Top Rank-promoted, HBO Pay-Per-View-televised event, was another fight-of-the-year candidate. Martin Castillo got up from a first-round knockdown and had to rally in the final two rounds of a bloody, grueling bout with familiar foe Alexander Munoz to retain his WBA 115-pound title by split decision.
Castillo, who won by scores of 115-112 and 116-111 (the third judge had it 115-112 for Munoz), had to overcome bad cuts over his right eye and under his left eye as well as the thunderous punches of Munoz (who suffered a badly swollen right eye himself) in order to pull out the close contest.
It was a dramatic rematch of their first fight, which Castillo won by lop-sided decision to win the title back in December of 2004. This time around it was a nip-and-tuck battle from the first round through to the 12th as Munoz, now 28-2 (26), did a better job of boxing and setting up his power punches than he did in their first bout and Castillo, now 30-1 (16), fought a more aggressive fight than he did the first time around.
That aggression cost Castillo in the first round when he was caught with hard right to the ear and sent to one knee near a neutral corner. Castillo got up and out-maneuvered Munoz before stunning the Venezuelan KO artist with a series of hooks just before the bell.
The two junior bantamweights traded bombs over the next nine rounds, with both combatants taking turns stalking the other, Castillo landing with more accuracy and consistency, Munoz landing with more power.
Castillo hurt Munoz in the final seconds of round 11 to take that round and then took the fight to the always dangerous puncher in the 12th to barely keep his world title.
On the televised undercard, Puerto Rican junior featherweight prospect Juan Manuel Lopez improved to 9-0 (9) with a third-round knockout of Mexico’s Jose Luis Caro. Lopez, a strong quick-handed southpaw who throws crisp combinations and has decent footwork, caught Caro with a short lead right hook on the inside that put the Mexican flat on his back and out of commission, promting referee Joe Cortez to wave the bout off without much of a count at 1:44 of the third round.
Top Rank is very high on Lopez, who is only 22 years old and has yet to fight past three rounds in a professional contest. The power puncher showed a lot of promise by keeping his poise after scoring a flash knockdown in the second round. Lopez went after Caro, who fell to 10-4-1 (9), but didn’t rush himself and or get wild with his punches.
Mexican middleweight prospect Jose Luis Zertuche improved to 18-2-2 (13) with a one-sided and often frustrating 10-round decision over late substitute Marcos Primera. Zertuche, who won by scores of 100-89 (twice) and 100-88, dropped the well-traveled Venezuelan journeyman with an inside hook in the final round but couldn’t put away the overly defensive veteran.
The rugged but awkward Mexican (a 2000 Olympian) was the aggressor throughout the bout, landing wide, looping power punches all over the lanky body of Primera, who fell to 19-13-2 (12). Primera, who simply did not punch back enough to win a single round, was a stand-in for 154-pound prosepct Anthony Thompson, who was a substitute for middleweight prospect Kelly Pavlik, who had to pull out of this bout with an injured hand a week and a half ago.
NON-TELEVISED UNDERCARD
Polish middleweight prospect Grezegorz Proksa improved to 5-0 (4) by absolutely hammering mid-western journeyman Gene Newton over three brutally one-sided rounds. The bloody faced Newton, who fell to 4-1 (1), remained on his stool before the strat of the fourth round on the advice of the ringside physician. Proksa is an agressive but technically sound southpaw whose style reminds some ringside observers of WBC light heavyweight title holder Thomazs Adamek (also from Poland). Although Proksa, who made good use of feints in this fight, has yet to be tested in the ring, he’s one to keep an eye on.
Filipino 130-pound prospect Jimex Jaca made quick work of Geronimo Hernandez, dropping the Mexican journeyman twice in the first round and forcing referee Joe Cortez to wave the bout off at 2:43 of the opening frame. Jaca, who improved to 25-1-1 (11), is a rangy boxer-puncher with good athleticism and solid technique. Hernandez fell to 15-15-1 (5).
East L.A.’s Sal Garcia repeatedly stunned and out-worked Puerto Rican 122-pound prospect Carlos Valcarcel en route to a unanimous six-round decision over the 2000 Olympian in the opening bout of the card. Garcia, who improved to 13-3-2 (6), hurt Valcarcel in the second round and consistently beat the San Juan native to the punch on the inside for the remaining four rounds. Valcarcel, who dropped to 8-1 (4), made good use of his jab and footwork in the first round, but elected to stand and trade with the naturally bigger Garcia for the rest of the fight, a tactical error that cost him his undefeated record.
