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PACQUIAO STORMS ACROSS THE PACIFIC
Morales suffers first KO in vengeance match

January 21, 2006
Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas

How can one man make 92 million people happy all at once? Just ask three-time world champion, Manny Pacquiao and he'll tell you.

With a powerful career-defining win over future hall-of-famer Erik Morales last night, Pacquiao avenged last year's loss to Morales at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Over 14,000 people witnessed what almost 92 million Filipino will eventually see what some would consider the renewing of vows between Pacquiao and his legacy to the Filipino people, and the boxing community.



In a fashion that could not have been written any better, Manny Pacquiao had many more ups than downs throughout almost 10 full rounds of truly championship boxing, earning a 10 round KO over Tijuana's Erik Morales, who hit the canvas for what really is the first time in his career.

Pacquiao moved to show that not having the overwhelming distractions he had during his first fight truly made a difference in this fight.

"I was well prepared. Shelly Finkel and my team cleared all distractions from me", said the Filipino southpaw.

The very beginning of the fight was met with a longer than usual feeling out process for these two crowd-pleasing gladiators, who where each 100% ready for tonight's bout according to their perspective camps. As Pacquiao's Promoter Gary Shaw stated earlier in the week, "Whoever loses this fight, will have lost only because they could not win, no excuses."

Pacquiao appeared to be different this from the very 1st round, showing a bit more patience than what most believe he could. Pacquiao went to the body very early on. This allowed him to work Morales' abdomen and make him drop his defensive right hand that seems to be permanently attached to his chin. In a round that saw more controlled action from Pacquiao, Morales was overwhelmed for the most part of the second round, debuting itself as the first round to have a clear cut winner.



The double jab followed by a straight right seemed to make good enough contact for Erik Morales to win two of the first three rounds on two of the judges scorecard. These connecting punches may not have been able to score a knock out but they were definitely enough to earn something on the judge's scorecards. Pacquiao won a clear second round with speedy hooks to the body and head, while slowly but sure gaining more control of the ring.

Most of the first five rounds, with the exception of round two, where very close rounds that saw Pacquiao control the ring with quick hooks and right hands, only to be occasionally forced back by an incredibly game Morales. Morales seemed to be firing hooks and straight rights in spurts, only attacking when counterpunching and growing less successful in those attempts as the fight went on. Pacquiao's offensive striking was obviously more thought through than in their first fight, that or this time Pacquiao stuck with Freddy Roach's instructions that worked like clockwork.

It was apparent that Pacquiao's body work, right hands and hooks were working. Allowing Pacquiao to wear down the former champion midway through the fight. "I feel him slipping. I think I have him hurt in the sixth round," Pacquiao would say later.

Pacquiao showed incredible growth in his fight game, seemingly adding an equally dangerous weapon to his arsenal, his right hand. Pacquiao who in the past has been known for over pursuing his opponents when they are hurt, showed great maturity by throwing hooks to the body and head that would connect and instead of lunging in for the kill, he wisely stepped back and used his right to keep Morales guessing as to where he would be coming from.


In fairness, ang macho ng ilong ni Papa Erik.

By the eighth round both fighters had taken some great shots and had both struck back when being heavily engaged throughout the fight. Morales had a cut on his eyebrow an his body showed signs that he knew his body wasn't going to make it through the twelfth round. Pacquiao continued with his constant application of body work along with the straight left, uppercut and hook combinations. Morales seemed on the brink of being down several times throughout the fight, but with the heart of a true champion Morales came back and would pursue Manny as a way to stop the assault, at least temporarily.

The crowd who was split very closely down the middle each chanted for their Hero as the fight went on. Morales looked like a beaten man by the end of the sixth, although he stayed in the fight, at this point had yet to be completely out of it. Morales would answer the seventh with a strong desire to keep the pace up but that hungrier Pacquiao would not be denied his sweet revenge.

The tenth round started like most of the other rounds, having Pacquiao coming in to trade and Morales doing his best to stay in it. Morales' body looked like it was saying it was done. With a cut over his right eyebrow and a chin that had been through the roughest of nights; Morales was dominated one last time in the tenth. With less than a minute to go, Pacquiao rocked Morales with the kind of power Morales claimed he had never felt before, and knocked him down for the first time in the fight.



Morales recovered in time to make the count and give a valiant effort, as you could see that his mind was telling him that he should not stand up. Instead to just stay down as his body was done; but Morales' with the heart of a Lion, managed to stand up on courage alone. Facing Pacquiao once again, Morales hoped to make it through the round, a feeling he had never felt before in his professional career. Morales stayed true to form and engaged Pacquiao even while still dazed. Pacquiao seized the opportunity and with the might of an entire country flurried hooks to the whole of Morales until he crumpled to the ground and referee Kenny Bayless stepped in and stopped the bout, declaring Pacquiao the winner by KO at 2:33 into the tenth round.

Pacquiao felt confident about his win, saying he always knew what was in him: "I was ready. Morales said I made excuses before--well, there no excuses today."

As a precaution, Morales was taken to Valley Hospital for precautionary reasons and has since been released from the hospital.

My Say:

Kababayan ko yan! Kababayan ko yan!