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Photos © HoganPhotos.com
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In their first fight in 2005 both Morales and Pacquiao showed why they are fan favorites and living legends in their respective home countries. Both boxers showed amazing toughness, explosive punching, and provided us with non-stop action. The difference in the first fight was not the toughness of each fighter or even their punching power, it was the ability of Morales to outbox Pacquiao when he chose to think more and brawl less.
When two opponents match up very evenly on things like punching power, heart, and toughness, the difference maker in the fight will inevitably be the skill level of each fighter. However, no matter how skilled a boxer is, his corner better come up with an effective fight strategy to maximize on that advantage. The sole reason for the first fight even being so close on the scorecards was Morales’ desire to brawl and show Pacquiao that he would not be pushed around the ring. If instead Morales chose to box more and exchange less then almost certainly his win would have been more convincing.
After losing to Morales, Pacquiao and his corner realize that if Manny is to win the rematch he will have to somehow surprise Morales. Until now Pacquiao has been a one-dimensional bull who rages forward annihilating most opponents with his tremendous punching power. A good boxer, however, can use this predictability to his advantage and outbox the stronger fighter. If Pacquiao comes in with his usual left-right combos he will most certainly lose. His strategy has to be to make Morales brawl and to show him different combinations at different angles. The left hook Pacquiao has been trying to add to his arsenal is a good start, but he may need something more against Morales.
Morales on the other hand should realize that his best chance to beat Manny is through out-boxing him. If Morales’ loss to Rahim has taught him anything it should be that a superior boxer should rely exclusively on his skills when faced with a hard punching opponent who prefers to brawl instead of to box. This is however easier said than done, because as soon as Morales gets hit by a hard shot from Pacquiao he is almost certain to want to retaliate in kind; that’s just the way he is. When he boxed Pacquiao in their fist bout Morales gained a slight edge, but when he decided to brawl he left himself open to possibly being hit with a monster shot from Manny. So why open himself up to that chance? Because Morales and Pacquiao alike are both warriors and love a good toe-to-toe action packed fight as much as the fans do.
The boxer who can best stick to the strategy laid out for him by his corner will have a serious advantage in this fight. The biggest problem with this statement is that it may not be either realistic or possible to expect these two fighters to somehow change their way of fighting. Yes, they may try to follow strategy at first, but as soon as the action starts and each fighter gets hit hard a few times I expect a repeat of the first fight.
This bout poses a few interesting questions: Did Pacquiao’s use of different boxing gloves in the first fight really affect his punching power? Does Morales have enough left in the tank after an embarrassing loss to Rahim to stand up to the hard charging Pacquiao? And will either fighter show us something different this time around? At the very least this fight will be an exciting slugfest where anything could happen.
One last note: The winner of this fight should in all fairness face Zahir Rahim next and neither Pacquiao nor Morales should take him lightly because his win over Morales was not a fluke.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Oleg Bershadsky (January 15, 2005)
