Morales open to Pacquiao rematch

Three days after he demolished the myth in Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Erik Morales said he is open to a rematch with the Filipino ring idol, whom he described as a very tough opponent whose movement gave him most trouble during their 12-round fight over the weekend.

"If the people want me to fight him again then we will fight again. It was a great fight, the people loved the fight and if they demand that we fight again then of course we will fight," said Morales in an interview with Boxingscene.com.

Morales, a three-time world champion, used his reach advantage and experience to the hilt to beat the fancied Pacquiao in a close 12-round decision Saturday before a delirious 14,623 crowd at the MGM Grand.

Morales, coming into the fight as an underdog, pulled a few rabbits out of his hat and showed why he is regarded as one of the best little men in the sport.

"Pacquiao is a very tough guy, I knew he was tough before this fight was made but I worked very hard to prepare myself for this fight," said Morales, who, however, stressed that the outcome of the fight would’ve been the same even if Pacquiao was allowed to use a different set of gloves.

"The gloves mean nothing, and the result would still be the same. My promoter Bob Arum and Pacquiao’s promoter both agreed to the choice of gloves in the contract. If there was a problem with the gloves then they should not have agreed to the terms of the contract. My promoter handles those things and I handle my business in the ring."

And he handled it with remarkable resolve.

Morales kept Pacquiao at bay with his stinging jabs, thus avoiding the Filipino boxer’s vaunted left straight that had floored and knocked out many of his opponents.

"The jabs helped me dictate the action in the fight. I never lost control of the fight because I was able to dictate the action. I kept him away with the jabs and that allowed me to attack when I wanted," said Morales. — Dante Navarro