Doug Fischer
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 Dougie's MASSIVE Monday Mail Bag
By Doug Fischer (January 23, 2006) Photo © German Villasenor
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Read on for fan feedback on Manny Pacquiao's stunning
10th-round stoppage of Erik Morales in this week's
MMMB. Fans ponder what's next for both the PacMan and
El Terrible, Pacquiao's pound-for-pound placement and
the likelihood of rematches with Barrera and Marquez.
Enjoy!
GREAT FIGHTERS, GREAT FIGHT
Wow, I wasn't expecting that. You gotta give it to
Pacquiao he fought a great fight. The way it started
it looked like Morales was the better boxer and would
just impose his will with his size and heart like the
first time. Then in the sixth it was just like Morales
was fighting on empty. After the fight he said he was
exhausted and that's what it looked like. The
difference in the first fight, in my opinion, was that
every time Pacquiao attacked Morales always answered
on top of boxing better in between lulls in the
action. That wasn't the case in this fight. After the
sixth he was on shaky legs and looked like he had
nothing left.
Maybe being in so many big fights with badasses has
finally caught up with him. I'm glad the fight was
stopped because I was getting worried about his
health. If the first fight was the last great
performance he had it was a great performance in a
great career. What a warrior. But you have to give
Pacquiao a lot of credit. To have fought Barrera,
Morales and Marquez and to knock two of them out while
knocking another down three times on the way to a draw
is certainly one of the great boxing accomplishments
of recent times. Later Dougie. - Greg
To me, Pacquiao and Morales are what the term "elite
fighter" is all about. They challenge themselves over
and over again, year after year, regardless of some of
the outcomes, and they always leave everything they've
got in the ring. They are not about looking dominant
vs. sub-par opposition and protecting an undefeated
record (like you know who). Although Pacquiao is only
a couple of years younger than Morales, he's got far
less "mileage" on his fighter's odometer. I doubt
we'll see a rubbermatch between these two, so in many
ways I look at this fight as the passing of the torch
from the game's truest warrior. From '97, when
'Terrible' won his first world title from hall of
famer Daniel Zaragoza, to this past Saturday, Morales
has had one hell of a run. I hope Pacquiao's run
continues for the next couple of years.
ONWARD AND UPWARD FOR PACMAN
Hey Dougie,
What a fight, great body attack by Manny. I expected
Morales to box more and keep him away and get a MD.
What's next for these 2 guys? I don't think that JMM
or MAB have any interest in fighting Manny now. But
hey, Manny Vs. Hatton would be great to watch. Manny
is a half inch taller and has a 2 inch reach advantage
over Ricky, though I know Manny started out way
smaller, he looked like he could carry 140 against
Hatton. That would be a killer PPV. Just wondering
what BIG TIME fight is out there for Manny. - Tirzo
You want Pacquiao to jump to 140 pounds and take on
Ricky Hatton? OK, you officially have PacMan Fever,
Tirzo, but it's alright, there's bound to be an
epidemic of that following Manny's awesome performance
Saturday night. I disagree that Barrera and Marquez
have no interest in fighting Pacquiao again. Both are
very proud fighters who believe they have a score to
settle with the Filipino icon, and neither guy can
make more money fighting anyone else but the PacMan
(Manny ruined Barrera's other big-money option
Saturday night).
KO SURPRISE
Doug,
I am a PacMan fan but, like you, also picked Morales
to win based on his dominance in the 1st fight. I
noticed that no journalists or analysts who picked
Manny predicted a KO. Even you thought if Manny should
win, you'd be surprised by a KO victory. What did
Manny do that you didn't think he would or could do
that ended up in a KO victory? Was it more of what
Manny did or do you think that the result is in part
due to recent slippage in Eric's game or conditioning?
- Well Done (Member)
I thought either fighter earning a stoppage victory in
this fight was highly unlikely based on Erik's
excellent chin and history of toughness and based on
Manny's awesome conditioning and sense of purpose.
What do I know? I do know some people who thought it
was very likely that Pacquiao would stop Morales late
in the fight (even calling the round), however they
are not boxing writers. One of them was Brian Harty,
MaxBoxing's video editor. Big Bri ALMOST bet on Manny.
(Next time, Brian, trust your instinct.)
What did Manny do that I didn't think he would or
could do? He boxed Morales the way he boxes in the
gym. That's what he did Saturday night (which he
usually doesn't do). I've seen PacMan drop perfect
combinations on Freddie Roach's mitts at the Wild Card
gym but come fight night it was back to the same old
template of the double right jab big left hand. This
time Pacquiao brought more to the table.
I don't think Morales' game or conditioning has been
slipping, he's just had a very tough series of
opponents - either strong title holders, talented
contenders, or fellow elite fighters - and it's only
natural that his tough schedule would eventually catch
up to him. But I give Pacquiao full credit for the
win. Morales was not going to get "old" overnight vs.
just anyone.
POUND-FOR-POUND PAC
Hola Doug - how's it going?
Where do you rate Pacman pound for pound?
Who do you rate as the harder puncher - Hamed or
Pacman?
I think Pacman is the best puncher since Tyson - what
do you think?
Thanks - Chris
I think PacMan will jump all the way to no. 2 on my
list. He's no further down than 3 or 4.
I believe Hamed hit harder, punch for punch, than
Pacquiao.
I don't think PacMan's power is as destructive as the
prime Iron Mike's, but the Filipino does share the
same incredible mix of speed and power that Tyson was
gifted with. I can understand why Pacquiao would
remind you of vintage Tyson. By the way, there have
been better punchers to come along since Tyson's prime
has come and gone (late '86 through '88), mainly
middleweights Julian Jackson, Nigel Benn and Gerald
McClellan.
ADIOS 'EL TERRIBLE'
What up Big Doug! I have a question for you? Would I
be disrespecting the great Erik Morales if I said I
think he should retire? I just think that he has
nothing left to prove and has nothing but danger and
tarnish on his record if he continues. He has fought
everyone there is to fight at featherweight and it
would be murder for him to try and make that weight
anymore anyway. He was a dominant force in the Jr.
Lightweight division and he tried going up to
Lightweight and he couldn't compete. Even if we chalk
that fight up to a fluke and weight problems do you
really think he can hang with Chico or Juan Diaz or
Lazcano? He'll put up a warrior's effort like he
always does, but any of those fighters could be very
dangerous for him with their power. Not to mention
Castillo if he hangs around which he won't if he's
smart.
I just think he has been great at three weight
divisions, a shoo in for the Hall of Fame and he has
had so many wars, enough is enough! Look at the
fighters he has wins over: Marco Antonio Barrera,
Junior Jones, Manny Pacquiao, Injin Chi, Jesus Chavez,
etc.... He has made a ton of money, and I think he can
ride off into the sunset with his head held high as a
great champion of the sport. I hope he really does it.
- Trevor
I don't think you are being disrespectful by hoping
Morales retires, I think you are showing that you are
a real fan of his who is concerned for his well being.
I agree with you, Trev. He has nothing at all to prove
and a jump to 135 pounds at this stage of his career
is asking too much of his body (and probably asking
for another beating). Had he stepped up to 135 pounds
in mid-to-late '04 I would have given him a shot at
beating some of the names at lightweight, including
Juan Diaz (Castillo, Corrales and Lazcano are just too
damn big), however, the cumulative effect of going a
hard 36 rounds in '04 (vs. Jesus Chavez, Carlos
Hernandez and Marco Antonio Barrera) and 24 rounds in
'05 (vs. Pacquiao and Zahir Raheem) and now 10 brutal
rounds with PacMan again tells me that he wouldn't
have much to offer the top lightweights other than his
boundless courage and big heart. Problem is, I don't
think his body can keep up with that iron will of his
now.
No matter what Morales decides to do, he'll eventually
wind up in the hall of fame as a fan favorite with
enough accomplishments under his belt to draw
comparisons to the all time great featherweights. I'm
hoping his day in Canastota comes sooner rather than
later.
WHAT ABOUT RAHEEM NOW?
Doug - Do you look at Morales' previous loss in a
different light now? - Kevin Key, St. Cloud, MN
Morales' loss to Raheem could have been an indication
that he was slowing down or getting "old", but I still
view it more as a bad style matchup for Terrible.
Pacquiao's old style was made for Morales in many
respects, but the version of the PacMan that showed up
Saturday night added a few wrinkles to his game and
thus added more than a few wrinkles (along with a lot
of welts and lumps) to Morales. I didn't consider
Morales an "old" fighter coming into this rematch, but
now I would. Pacquiao's punishment made Morales' body
feel the effects of all those other wars, or in other
words, Pac made him get old overnight.
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS
Dougie,
This was the first major Vegas fight I've missed in
over a year. Damn am I upset with myself for sitting
this one out. The energy in the crowd from the first
fight was something I'll never forget. Couple of quick
questions for ya.
1. With this win would you now say that the Pacman is
pretty much a lock for the HOF?
2. Where does Morales go from here? I heard he said he
wasn't gonna ever be able to make 130 again and I
think the bigger guys at 135 will abuse him.
3. Does this win warrant Manny's inclusion in your P4P
top 5?
4. What sort of chances do you give Barrera to reverse
that ass whippin he got versus Pacman? I see that
fight unfolding pretty much identical to their first
fight. Besides I think the Marquez rematch would be a
better scrap.
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions from us
fanatics, not many people are willing to respond to
their constituency as consistently as you. Also big
props to Mike Katz for suggesting I read "The Sweet
Science" from Liebling. It was a great read and I
would recommend it to any serious boxing freak. -
Blair
If you think the atmosphere and energy for the first
fight was off the hook, you should have experienced
the crowd for the rematch. With the possible exception
of Felix Trinidad's KO win over William Joppy at
Madison Square Garden in 2001, this past Saturday
night was the most electric (especially once the fight
was over) that I've ever witnessed. Onto your
questions:
1). I think both Pacquiao and Morales are hall-of-fame
locks. Nobody in their right minds would deny Pacquiao
a first-ballot vote.
2). I think despite what you've heard the obvious plan
for Manny will be to stay at 130 pounds where a
monster event can be staged between he and familiar
foe, 130-pound champ Marco Antonio Barrera. That
fight's too big not to be made.
3). Without question, Pacquiao has to be considered a
top 3 pound-for-pound player. Every year, since 2003,
he's taken on a top 5 or top 10 P4P fighter (Barrera,
JMM and Morales twice). He owns stoppage wins over
Barrera and Morales and a draw with Marquez, a guy
that Marco and Erik never wanted to tangle with. (In
fact, a different referee may have waved off the
Marquez fight after that third knockdown giving Pac a
first-round KO of JMM.) Every year Pacquiao fights an
elite fighter. To me, that's what the pound-for-pound
list is all about.
4). Don't hold your breath for any rematch with
Marquez. Pacquiao's handlers aren't stupid. Barrera is
the bigger fight. I'm not going to count the Mexican
boxer out. Although I think Pacquiao's style will
always give him fits, I think he can box and fight a
lot better than he did in November of 2003. I would
certainly favor Pac going into that rematch, but I
wouldn't be in shock if Barrera got a little "get
back".
PACMAN & SPIDERMAN
"With great power comes great responsibility." I never
thought I'd hear a boxer quoting Spiderman AND see a
good Pay-Per-View on HBO, all in the same night.
What a hellacious beating Erik took. Where does this
place Manny pound-for-pound? In my opinion, he's
already pulled the 130 lb Mexican hat trick (I thought
he pulled the Marquez fight out by a point or two). If
he beats Barrera in a rematch, I think it makes him at
least the 2nd best fighter in the world. Holla back! -
Chris, Philly
I think Manny's been watching a lot of
English-language TV and movies because his English has
drastically improved over the past year. Maybe the
Spider Man DVD is part of his collection.
I think Pacquiao's going to go in the no. 2 slot right
behind Winky Wright. Morales, who has lost three of
his last four fights, will stay inside the top 15 or
20 because of the "strength of his schedule", but I
hope he decides to hang 'em up. He doesn't need the
money, his legacy is secure and that was a
career-ending beating he took from Manny whether he
wants to acknowledge it or not.
WHAT HAPPENED TO 'TERRIBLE'?
What a weird fight. I thought El Terrible was (much
like the first fight) in total control after the 5th
round, and then all of a sudden he was done. Thoughts
on what happened in the 6th round? It just seems to
simple to suggest that the Pac Man's body shots just
started to wear Morales down or that Morales is a shot
fighter. He boxed so well in the first five rounds!!!
The fight seemed to turn so dramatically that I
wonder whether (i) Morales' nose was broken in that
round (which would explain a lot) and (ii) whether he
sustained a concussion during that round. - Daniel
That's a good question. I agree with your analysis of
the first five rounds, of which I scored all but the
second round for Morales. Even though I thought rounds
four and five were close, I thought Morales was in
control of the distance and the action. I don't think
what happened in the sixth round can be totally
explained by body shots or a broken nose or Morales'
body suddenly getting "old". I think Pacquiao's
training and strategy came together in that round. Pac
found his rhythm and began attacking Morales in a way
that Terrible never experienced in their previous
fight. Pacquiao began to use feints to throw Morales
off and he began to mix his punches up. He began to
time Morales instead of the other way around. Once he
stopped leading with his right jab, and timing a hard
right hook over Morales' jab, Pacquiao was able to get
inside more often and punish the body or flurry to the
head. By thinking more, and reacting less, but keeping
his punch output the same, Pacquiao became a much
harder target to time and counter and he took control
of the fight's distance and action.
I didn't score another round for Morales after the
fifth. My scorecard read 87-86 for Pacquiao at the
time of the stoppage.
FORGET BARRERA, WHAT ABOUT PAC-JMM II?
Doug. Great win for Pacquiao over Morales. Barrera
next?. A rematch with Marquez is a fight I'd love to
see. I feel that Marquez can beat Pacquiao in a
rematch. I watched the fight a couple of days ago, and
it seems that Marquez was caught cold during that 1st
round. He was too relaxed and was not expecting
Pacquiao to open up as quickly as he did. After the
first 2 rounds, I thought Marquez dominated the fight.
He's got great technique when delivering punches, very
straight, and his right hand uppercut on the inside
was getting through Pacquiao's defense. Another good
quality Marquez has is a cool head. He's never
wreckless defensively, and is very accurate with his
punches. The only worry I have for Marquez is his
chin, if Pacquiao can drop him 3 times in one round,
then he can certainly floor him again. - Robbi,
Scotland.
Of all of Pacquiao's potential opponents I think JM
Marquez is the most dangerous. Before witnessing what
Pacquiao did to Morales Saturday I would have been
willing to put money on JMM in a reamtch, but not now.
The version of Pacquiao that fought Saturday night is
not as easy to nail with jabs, straight rights or
counter punches, however Marquez is a true master
technician and one of the smartest fighters I've ever
met. I'm sure he'd eventually find a home for his
uppercut even vs. the new-and-improved PacMan.
Pacquiao-Marquez II would be a great fight for diehard
fans. Too bad it probably won't happen.
CROW
Well I was freaking wrong. At least I came back to eat
my F#$king crow sandwich. DAMN IT!!!! Well Pacquiao is
my new Naseem Hamed. Yes I am a hater but I will love
to hate him. Please tell me Barrera will fight him
again. Do you think it will happen? I truly believe
Barrera can get him this time. If not him who would
you want Pacquiao to fight? I would not mind seeing
either Marquez brother fight him. I would be happy to
see Tim Austin fight him also. I just hope he fights
someone good next. Not that Morales sucks I am just
saying I want to see another exciting match up. - MO
I was a fan of Hamed, and unlike many American boxing
writers and fans, I respected his accomplishments, his
athleticism and his personality. However, Pac is
better than Naz. And unlike Hamed, who had built up
this almost pro-wrestler-type persona as a fighter, I
can't see how any fan can love to hate Pacquiao, who
is about as down to earth and genuine as anyone you'll
meet. Anyway, I've already stated this but I think the
Barrera fight is the best match out there for Manny.
If that rematch can't be made this year for some
reason, I wouldn't mind watching Pacquaio take on the
winner of the Scott Harrison-Joan Guzman WBO 126-pound
title fight in the fall. I can guarantee either guy
will make for an explosive fight with the PacMonster.
PACMAN VS. THE V-NOM
Hey Dougie, I think it was sad what happened on
Saturday. It's always sad when a warrior kind of has
his last stand and has to get beat up. I think Edwin
Valero should have a few more fights then fight for
the WBA 130 title. He is in an eliminator for it for
his next fight. Then I think he should fight Pacquiao
with that title, maybe in Japan or Manila. How do you
think that fight would turn out? Who do you think
would win and why? Peace, Adam, CA.
Yeah, I saw where BoxRec.com lists my son's next fight
vs. some Panamanian named Whyber Garcia in a WBA
130-pound elimination bout on Feb. 25. Good for
Valero. I wish him luck. However, even if Valero beats
Garcia and then goes on to beat Vicente Mosquera for
the WBA title, I would still consider that a crazy
fight for Pacquaio's people to accept. The only fight
that should be on Pacquiao's to-do list is a rematch
with Barrera for the real 130-pound title. That's a
fight in which both Pacquiao and Barrera could split a
guaranteed $8 million pot (and that's not counting
percentages of the domestic pay-per-view upside and
foreign TV rights moneys). What's a Pacquiao-Valero
fight worth, even if it's for the WBA title? Not much
right now. Many diehard fans like yourself have heard
of Valero (mainly from his dear old dad), but how many
people have actually seen him fight? Very few. I think
Pacquiao-Valero could make for the most explosive and
dramatic one round in boxing history (flip a coin as
to who lands first and takes the other out), but even
I would criticize PacMan's people for taking such a
fight in the next year. It's all risk and very little
reward if Pac wins, and despite the fact that my son's
technique has gone down the toilet you still don't
gamble with a pure puncher like that.
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For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Doug Fischer at dougie@maxboxing.com
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