By Ronnie Nathanielsz
MANNY Pacquiao’s eagerly awaited trilogy with legendary Mexican Erik Morales is on, according to the Mexican’s handler, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.
Arum disclosed yesterday that Morales had agreed to fight Pacquiao at 130 lb after the Filipino southpaw flatly refused to make any concessions and give in to Morales’ request to do battle at 132 lb.
Morales indicated he was determined to erase the stigma of his brutal beating at the hands of Pacquiao last January. He even brought in a nutritionist, who would enable him to maintain his weight without having to diet like he did in the past in order to make the super featherweight limit, which he claimed affected him in his last fight against Pacquiao.
Trainer Freddie Roach earlier said the Pacquiao camp would honor the contract for a third fight at the stipulated 130-lb limit of their first two encounters.
Morales won the first in a bloody battle after Pacquiao suffered a nasty gash above his eye, which bled profusely, thereby blurring his vision. But in the rematch, Pacquiao demolished Morales.
Roach said Pacquiao would be in the best shape of his life for their third encounter, because he was certain Morales would train hard in an effort to avenge the humiliation he suffered when he was knocked out for the first time in his career by the Filipino.
However, Roach is confident that Pacquiao will win again because he is too quick and hits too hard and the result would be the same.
Roach, who was in Manila recently for the inauguration of the offices of Manny Pacquiao Promotions and the official news conference announcing the July 2 clash with former two-time super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios, said he plans to return to Manila next week for the Pacquiao-Larios news conference to be held at the studios of ABS-CBN, which has exclusive TV rights.
Roach said he would fly back to Los Angeles, possibly on May 3 in time for the Marco Antonio Barrera-Rocky Juarez fight on May 6. Roach said he would get Pacquiao to immediately buckle down to training at the Wild Card Gym.
The American trainer said that Pacquiao would train at the Wild Card Gym in LA until the end of May and then return to the Philippines and set up training camp in Baguio City.
Pacquiao returned to his hometown of General Santos City yesterday after receiving the “Boxer of the Year” award at the Games and Amusements Board Convention
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