“Terrible’s” Perfect Night!

Since Manny Pacquiao’s near perfect destruction Miguel Cotto last month to capture his seventh world title in as many weight division, a considerable amount of attention has been given in Mexico to the last man to beat the Filipino sensation almost five years ago, Tijuana’s own Erik “Terrible” Morales. Just last Saturday, the second largest television network in Mexico, Azteca, broadcast the first of the three encounters between the two warriors which was held at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV, on March 19th, 2005.
 
After twelve hard rounds, Morales (48-6, 34KO) was awarded a unanimous decision with scores of 115-113 three times.
 
The brawl began in typical Pacquiao fashion as the southpaw darted in and out of the reach of the taller Morales. The difference this night from his fight with both Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, is that Morales was not afraid to go after the Filipino after Pacquiao was able to score three, four and even five punch combinations.  In the true Morales style, “Terrible” went after Pacquaio throwing at times wild but successful punches until he was satisfied that the assault that Pacquiao had just landed on him was forgotten by the packed house of the Grand Arena and hopefully by the three ringside judges.
 
Much has been said about the cut that Pacquiao suffered over his right eye in the middle rounds from an unintentional head butt which as the fight went into the later rounds, only got worse.  Freddie Roach states at the time that he believed that the outcome would have been much different if the “Pacman” had not suffered the cut.  These two men were in a prize fight not a tea party so intentional and unintentional head butts and their effects, cuts, happen in boxing so Roach’s argument only attempts to take something away from the Morales victory.
 
It is true that Pacquiao began to fight differently because of the cut and Morales began to take more control of the bout and took his aggressiveness up a notch but that can be attributed to the ebb and flow of the match and very easily the cut could have been on Morales’ brow instead of Pacquiao’s. 
 
By the twelfth and final round, Morales was in such control of the action that he switched over to southpaw and decided to exchange with the tough Filipino and nearly got knocked out when Pacquiao landed a series of flush hard shots to the head of Morales.  When questioned by HBO’s Larry Merchant why he decided to risk his perfect fight in the last round he answered: “Did you enjoy it? That’s why.”
 
Although Morales had great nights in his illustrious career in which he captured four titles in three weight divisions and beat fifteen world champions, it would be hard pressed to find a greater night than this one when seen in hindsight.
 
Since that March night, the current pound for pound #1 fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao, has not tasted defeat again and has gone to become quite possible the most popular fighter of the new millennium and hands down the greatest Asian fighter of all time while Morales never won another bout, dropping the rematch to Pacquiao via TKO in ten rounds ten months later and in the rubber match, he also was stopped in four rounds near the end of 2006.  Before Morales-Pacquiao II, Morales moved up to lightweight and lost to unheralded Zahir Raheem and in his last bout, also at lightweight, Morales fought valiantly in his challenge for the WBC belt but was beaten by David Diaz in 2007. 
 
It is needless to say what this win over the “Mexecutioner” as Pacquaio is known means to Mexican boxing fans.  As Don Antonio, a co-worker and life long boxing fan who lives not far from Tijuana’s Zona Norte, the very neighborhood where Morales grew up and learned how to fight, stated after catching the replay on Azteca Mexico:”I know how the fight ends but I can’t help to get excited when Morales starts throwing trancazos…”
 
Morales has mentioned that he would fight again this year (2009) if not the next (2010).  It is hard to believe that the man I occasionally see at Tijuana boxing events is the same man who handed Pacquiao his last defeat.  It is harder to believe that he will fight again…