Pacquiao, Morales vow fight of their lives

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales yesterday promised to let it all hang out in their 12-round rubber match at the Thomas and Mack Center here on Nov. 18.

Both fighters were cordial to each other, declining to predict the outcome in the third installment of their trilogy during a jampacked lunch press conference at the Mouton Room in the Wynn Hotel last Saturday.

They posed for pictures together, eyeball to eyeball, as cameras clicked away. But behind the smiles, there was no doubt a feeling of animosity exists like a dangerous undercurrent.

Morales beat Pacquiao on points in their first meeting in March last year but the Filipino avenged the setback on a brutal 10th round knockout in a rematch last January. The fights generated at least 350,000 pay-per-view buys each and the expectation is the third match will eclipse the total by far.

Top Rank Promotions head Bob Arum called it "The Grand Finale" and HBO (Home Box Office) senior vice president of sports operations and pay-per-view Mark Taffet said there’s nothing more exciting in boxing than a trilogy.

Despite the huge demand for tickets in the first two fights, Arum said he’s not jacking up the prices to allow as many Filipinos and Mexicans alike to witness the historic encounter. Ticket prices are $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50. About 6,000 tickets will be sold at $50.

Tickets will go on sale starting Wednesday.

’This will be the biggest fight ever in the history of the lighter weight divisions and I expect it to break pay-per-view records in the superfeatherweight class," said Taffet. ’The fighters are great champions and icons in their countries. The passion and rivalry they ring in the ring will last for generations to come. We are fortunate that these proud warriors agreed to fight one more time."

Morales, who turns 30 on Sept. 1, admitted he was not himself in his last few fights.

"Now is the time for me to reverse the negative image," he said in Spanish. "I want to prove to my fans who believe in me that I can be a great champion again. People can change. You can do things well if you set your mind to it. When I fight Pacquiao, I will do it for myself, not to entertain the fans or some other reason. I will prove I can still win."

Morales’ manager Fernando Beltran said he’s sure "El Terrible" will win.

"He’s different now, he’s 100 percent focused and very serious," said Beltran. "You will see the Morales of before, the Morales who gave a lot of pride to Mexico."

Beltran said Morales had never before trained four months for a fight. "He usually trains two months before but not this time," said Beltran. "He wants to be in the best shape of his life and that’s why he’s going to win."

Pacquiao’s manager Shelly Finkel disagreed with Beltran.

"I have a lot of respect for Erik and I know he’ll be in shape for the fight but Manny will be a little better," said Finkel. "I don’t think the fight should be called ’The Grand Finale.’ I think it should be called ‘no excuses’ because Manny will score a conclusive victory to end the trilogy."

Pacquiao, wearing a long-sleeved white Lacoste shirt and dark glasses, upstaged Morales in his remarks. While Morales spoke only of himself, Pacquiao thanked the Lord, the Filipino people, other Filipino fighters and media for inspiring him.

"Both of us will give you a fight that’s bigger than the first and second," he said. "I’m praying that neither of us gets hurt. This fight will be successful because of the support of media and the public. I want the fans to be happy. I thank God for giving me strength everyday. I’ll do my best."

Arum said the groundswell of support from the Filipino and Mexican communities in California and Nevada guarantees a box office hit.

"There are over two million people of Filipino descent in California and about 15 percent of the population in Nevada is Mexican with the percentage probably higher in California," said Arum. "They’ll come out to support Manny and Erik. The adulation that Filipinos have for Manny is like Panama’s adulation for Roberto Duran. It’s greater than the support fans gave to their countries in the last World Cup.

"Manny is a phenomenon. Every Filipino, rich or poor, knows, supports and lives Manny’s dream. They love him because of Manny’s ability and charisma. That sets a lot about him as a person. With the entire country enamored with Manny, it shows he’s something special as a man and a person."

Former world champions Genaro Hernandez and Iran Barkley were in the audience. So was unbeaten heavyweight Calvin Brock. Also in the crowd were Morales’ 23-year-old wife Andrea Mora and their baby boy Erik Jr.