Pacquiao trainer sees Erik at his best

LOS ANGELES – While almost everybody insists that Manny Pacquiao should be the favorite, his conditioning coach, Australian Justin Fortune, is singing a different tune.

"You will see the best Morales that can ever be. Ever," said Fortune Sunday evening, as people inside Unit 361 of the Oakwood Condominium here were busy packing up.

Pacquiao, you see, is leaving for Las Vegas Monday noon for his scheduled blockbuster fight with Mexico’s Erik Morales at the MGM Grand on Saturday.

So far, Pacquiao has been installed the favorite by bookers and those around him and hopes to stay like that until the day of the fight.

But Fortune, a small but muscular heavyweight who once fought Lennox Lewis and lost in five rounds, said Pacquiao should be wary of what most people tell him.

"Everyone else tells him differently. No offense but he shouldn’t listen to these people because they know nothing when it comes to fighting," said Fortune.

"Freddie and myself, we’ve seen the guy. Morales will be there," added the Australian who sleeps in a room fronting Pacquiao’s.

However, he said Morales will be in trouble if he opts to slug it out instead of doing what he does best, which is to connect with his long shots.

"Because if he stands toe-to-toe with Manny, it will be a big mistake. He doesn’t know how fast Manny is until he’s faced him," he said.

"I knew (Mike) Tyson was strong but I didn’t know how strong he was until I put him on the mitts," added the former member of the Tyson training team.

Does he think Erik can take Manny’s punches?

"No because Manny is strong and fast and can run off a combination unlike the others. Most fighters hit the one-two punch but Manny can hit you with three, four or five – and strong. That makes the difference," he said.

Does he think Manny can take Erik’s punches?

"Yeah. Absolutely. He can take a good punch and recover well. And Erik, when he goes down, he will stay there. If he gets up then Manny will put him down again. He’s not that young anymore.

"Erik has a dangerous punch but it’s not a killer punch," Fortune added – now slowly, and surely sounding like the rest. — Abac Cordero