Manny vows to retire Morales

It was late afternoon of the day after Manny Pacquiao scored a convincing 12-round decision over Oscar Larios and the Filipino ring hero looked none the worse for wear. His face was virtually unmarked and the only stain was a slight bruise under his left eye.

Pacquiao, 27, held court in the reception area of his fifth floor Manila Hotel suite and talked about his Nov. 18 rubber match with Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao promised his audience–which included trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, security specialist Rob Peters, adviser Rex (Wakee) Salud and Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia–he would retire the Mexican warrior known as "El Terrible."

Pacquiao said he will train more than 10 weeks for Morales and vowed to be in the best shape of his career. For Pacquiao, the objective is to shut Morales up for good.

"I’ll make him eat his words," said Pacquiao in Filipino. "He’s been bad-mouthing me. He told the press I never hurt him in our last fight, that he just got tired and had a lot of mental distractions and that he made me famous. I want him to remember me as the fighter who made him retire."

Pacquiao’s advantage is he’s got the power to force Morales into retirement. "I weigh 130 pounds but I punch like I’m 154," he said. Pacquiao turned to Peters and asked what he thought. "I think you punch like you’re at least 160," said Peters. Pacquiao smiled broadly. Peters’ words were like music to his ears.

Pacquiao is reportedly guaranteed $3 million for the fight plus 50 percent of the pay-per-view earnings net of expenses. His share of the pay-per-view upside was 40 percent and his purse was $2 million for the Morales fight last January.

MGM Grand and Caesar’s Palace are bidding to co-host the rubber match, indicating expectations of a huge turnout for the fight at the 16,000-seat stadium. The Wynn Hotel hosted the previous bout.

The fight is definitely on unless Morales is unable to make the 130-pound limit. Morales has rehired his father Jose as trainer and contracted a nutritionist to supervise his diet. He will train in the high-altitude Otomi mountains of Mexico to build up stamina for what could be his swan song.

As for Larios, Pacquiao said he knew from the start, there was no way the Mexican could beat him. Someone mentioned it didn’t seem like he had just gone 12 rounds with a durable warrior the night before. Pacquiao joked that was more like a sparring session.

Pacquiao admitted he held back his power punches to avoid an early ending and give the fans a treat. He laughed off speculation he was in danger of falling in the third round, his back against the ropes, after Larios landed a series of blows. Pacquiao said he’s looking forward to facing World Boxing Council superfeatherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch after taking care of Morales.

But there could be a hitch as Barrera has agreed to stake his crown against Rocky Juarez in a return bout. If Barrera loses to Juarez, it will rob the luster of a Pacquiao rematch and diminish its marketability as a pay-per-view blockbuster.

Pacquiao said Barrera should’ve lost to Juarez in their first meeting and was lucky to escape with a win by split decision.