Morales switches to Reyes gloves

Erik Morales, leaving nothing to chance, has made a big switch in wearing a puncher’s glove and is now using what Manny Pacquiao prefers as the Mexican champ steps up his preparations for their much-awaited rematch on Jan. 21 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Fightnews.com said the three-time world champion has been wearing a puncher’s glove, Reyes, while training to take on Pacquiao in Top Rank’s big "The Battle" pay-per-view next month.

Morales, who usually wears Winning gloves, has made the switch while working out with his new trainer, Jose Luis "Maestro" Sr., in Mexico.

Gloves were a big issue in the first Morales versus Pacquiao fight, which the former won last March. By contract, both fighters wore Winning.

But after the fight, Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s noted American trainer, said it was the wrong kind of gloves for his ward.

However, for the upcoming fight, each fighter has a choice of gloves.

Meanwhile, Team Pacquiao, including Gary Shaw, Nick Khan, Keith Davidson and Roach, celebrated Pacquiao’s 27th birthday Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Pacquiao has been training at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. The Filipino ring icon has been picked as the slight favorite to win the rematch with 37 percent believing that he would win by knockout, according to an on-line poll put up by HBO Boxing.

The Morales-Pacquiao II is promoted by Top Rank in association with Wynn Las Vegas and will be available on HBO Pay Per View.

Pacquiao will be coming into the match oozing with confidence following his emphatic victory over Hector Velazquez in the undercard of the Morales-Zahir Raheem fight. In contrast, Morales lost to Raheem.