Jinkee called it right

LAS VEGAS — It was Manny Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee who hit the nail on the head in predicting her husband would knock out Erik Morales in the 10th round.

Jinkee watched nervously at ringside beside Macy Pineda and Joanna Ramos as Pacquiao came from behind to score the crushing win over the Mexican who had never been stopped before.

Morales led on points in the three judges scorecards after five rounds. Paul Smith and Jerry Roth had it 48-47 and Dave Moretti, 49-46. All three judges gave rounds three, four and five to Morales.

Then came Pacquiao’s resurgence. Starting the sixth round, he took control and Morales was never the same again. The three judges scored rounds six, seven, eight and nine for Pacquiao.

When referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to halt the carnage at 2:33 of the 10th, Pacquiao was ahead in the three judges scorecards, 87-84, 87-84 and 86-85.

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The night before the fight, Jinkee said Pacquiao was quiet and somber as he went to sleep at 10 p.m. in their Wynn Las Vegas Hotel luxury suite.

"He doesn’t usually talk when he prepares to go to sleep before a fight," said Jinkee. "Manny likes to just stay focused. I try not to be a bother to him. I leave him to be by himself. That’s the way he is."

Pacquiao woke up at 8:30 the morning of the fight and was in good spirits.

At 10:00 a.m., a Filipino priest Fr. Marlon Beof of Palawan came to celebrate Mass and pray to the Lord to protect Pacquiao. Fr. Beof is assigned in a New York seminary and flew in to watch the fight. Among those who attended the Mass were the First Gentleman Attorney Mike Arroyo and his son Mikey, Rep. Prospero Nograles, Rep. Monico Puentevella and Gov. Luis (Chavit) Singson.

Fr. Beof also prayed over Pacquiao in the dressing room after the fight and thanked the Lord for the win.

Pacquiao was clearly at peace before and after the fight.

"In the first Morales fight, I was nervous and felt very pressured," said Pacquiao. "But in this fight, I wasn’t nervous because I was well-prepared. I sacrificed a lot in training to be in the best shape of my life."

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Three-time Philippine champion Jimrex Jaca (real name Jimuel Divino) made a sensational US debut by knocking out Mexican Geronimo Hernandez in the first round in the Pacquiao-Morales undercard.

Hernandez, 31, took the fight on three days" notice. His trainer Tony Ayala, whose son Tony Jr. or "El Torito" was once a world junior middleweight contender until his imprisonment for rape, said Hernandez was paid $6,000 for the bout but $1,100 was deducted for insurance and other expenses.

"That guy Jaca has a lot of promise," said Ayala. "He’ll be a great fighter with more experience and more fights. I noticed in a lot of Filipino fighters like Jesus Salud, they like to charge in and slug it out and they have trouble against slick boxers. One of my boys Jesse Benavides fought Salud and beat him because he was just too stylish."

Hernandez was the second replacement for Jaca’s original opponent Ivan Valle. The first replacement was John Nolasco of the Dominican Republic.

’The promoters called me to ask if I had a fighter ready on three days notice," said Ayala. "Hernandez" wife just gave birth and he needed the money. Besides, he was in training so we accepted the fight."

As for his son Tony Jr., Ayala said he is serving an eight-year prison sentence but will be eligible for parole in June.

"Tony’s now 43 and he’ll never fight again," said Ayala. "He was jailed for a while then made a comeback as a boxer but he’s back in prison. He should move out of San Antonio where we all live and start a new life somewhere else. He would’ve become a world champion. He was scheduled to challenge Davey Moore–whom he had knocked down twice in sparring–for the world title when he first got into trouble with the law."

As for Jaca, his manager Rex (Wakee) Salud said he’ll stay in the US until his next fight, possibly in March in the undercard of the Bobby Pacquiao-Carlos (Famoso) Hernandez rematch.

Salud, by the way, said Pacquiao’s three attributes led to his victory over Morales–"matapang, malakas at mabilis." If a fighter has those three qualities, there’s no way he can lose, noted Salud.

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Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) director Marc Ratner said he personally recommended Bayless to work the Pacquiao-Morales rematch.

"I submitted a list of four candidates to both camps and asked if they had any objections to any of them," said Ratner. "Some of the other names were Jay Nady and Richard Steele. When there were no objections, I then recommended Kenny for approval by the five state commissioners."

Ratner said Bayless, an NSAC inspector for eight years and a professional referee since 1991, was the perfect choice. "He’s decisive, quick, athletic and fair," said Ratner.

As for the Filipino community’s support for Pacquiao, Ratner said it was a boost for the sport. ’The Filipino support is tremendous and I enjoy the Filipino fans who are very passionate," said Ratner. "I’ve been interviewed on Philippine radio and TV so I know what the Pacquiao fever is like in the country."

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Recording artist Jen Bautista sang a soulful rendition of the Philippine National Anthem in the ring for the Pacquiao-Morales fight. One of Pacquiao’s cornermen Lito Mondejar held up Pacquiao’s World Boxing Council (WBC) International superfeatherweight title belt–which was at stake–beside Bautista and Cris Aquino waved a giant Philippine flag as she sang.

Aquino shouldn’t be mistaken for namesake Kris, the actress. He’s one of Pacquiao’s biggest fans. Aquino spends his own money to produce jackets and T-shirts for Team Pacquiao. He paid $800 for 41 jackets and T-shirts in US customs duties to distribute to friends for the fight.

Bautista, 23, is the daughter of Games and Amusements Board commissioner Angel Bautista who is a nephew of former Sen. Ramon Revilla.

Concert king Martin Nievera offered to sing the anthem for free but it came too late. Bautista had been contracted to sing over a month before.

Nievera is being tapped by WBC lightflyweight champion Brian Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn to sing the anthem for his title defense against Jose Antonio Aguirre of Mexico at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino here on Feb. 18.

Nievera and confidante Mari Ojeda watched the Pacquiao-Morales fight at ringside.

Also spotted in the stadium were Rep. Luis (Baby) Asistio, Sen. Lito Lapid, PAGCOR chairman Ephraim Genuino, Rudy Fernandez, Ernest Villareal, Luisito Espinosa’s former manager Boots Aniel and her family and former world junior welterweight champion Morris East with his American girlfriend.