No kid’s gloves

When three-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao climbs into the ring to face Erik Morales in their epic 12-round rematch in Las Vegas on Jan. 21, he’ll be wearing what are called a puncher’s gloves. The word from fight circles is Morales will be wearing the same made-in-Mexico gloves by Cleto Reyes.

For sure, they’re not kid’s gloves. They’re the kind that sluggers like to use because there’s little padding on the portion covering the knuckles. A direct hit on the jaw can put you to sleep like a log. It’s almost like getting smacked by a baseball bat. If you factor in Pacquiao’s awesome power, a punch could leave you senseless.

In their first meeting last March, Pacquiao was forced to use the Japanese-made Winning brand of gloves. Morales prefers Winning to Reyes because he’s more of a boxer than a puncher. Morales relies less on his power and more on his boxing skills to beat an opponent. Obviously, it’s the other way around for Pacquaio who’ll be first to admit he’s not as technically proficient as Morales.

Pacquiao’s former US promoter Murad Muhammad apparently didn’t know the difference as he willingly agreed–on the Filipino’s behalf–for both fighters to use Winning gloves in the first bout. Pacquiao was never consulted on the use of gloves. Neither was his trainer Freddie Roach. So when Pacquiao and Roach were told of Muhammad’s "concession," they were up in arms.

Someone said Muhammad sold out Pacquiao by agreeing to the use of Winning gloves but that couldn’t be confirmed. But whether he did or not, the damage was irreparable.

Winning is the preferred brand of boxers because they are more padded than the Reyes gloves around the knuckles. A puncher’s blows carry less impact with Winning gloves.

Because Morales is naturally bigger than Pacquiao, it became even more difficult for the Filipino to hurt the Mexican in their initial encounter.

Muhammad is no longer in Pacquiao’s camp, much to Roach’s relief. Pacquiao’s new US promoter Gary Shaw and his manager Shelly Finkel are now in charge and they’re making sure fight conditions are fair and square in the rematch.

Reyes gloves will be used by both fighters, said a Las Vegas source. That will make it easier for Pacquiao to score a knockout. Remember that in their first fight, Pacquiao had Morales on the verge of a knockdown in the final round and that was with Winning gloves. Can you imagine what could’ve happened if Pacquiao wore Reyes gloves?

For Morales to agree to wear Reyes gloves in the rematch means he might slug it out in a do-or-die duel. It may be a death wish but Morales probably isn’t in condition to push Pacquiao to the limit. He got married to his second wife last October, went to Europe for his honeymoon and started training less than a month ago. Morales hired a new trainer Jose Luis Lopez to replace his father Jose who was blamed for the loss to Zahir Raheem last September and has moved his training camp from the Otomi mountains to unfamiliar territory in a town north of Mexico City.

Even as this is a crossroads fight for Morales, it doesn’t look like he’s as prepared to extend Pacquiao to the full route as in their first meeting. There are too many extraneous circumstances that seem to point Morales to a different direction in terms of strategy.

If Morales goes toe-to-toe against Pacquiao, it’ll be a brawl to end all brawls. Pacquiao isn’t the type to back down and if Morales figures to overpower the Filipino, he’s in for a backlash.

Pacquiao knows what’s at stake in this fight. He’s fighting not only for himself and his family but for the entire Filipino nation. If he wins, the Philippines wins. A victory will catapult Pacquiao into a multi-million dollar showdown with World Boxing Council superfeatherweight titlist Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch that could go down in history as the biggest ticket seller in ring history outside of the heavyweight division.

But Pacquiao is careful not to look beyond Morales. He’s focused for the biggest fight of his career. More than the Reyes gloves, what will propel Pacquiao to victory is his determination. Pacquiao is dedicating the fight to his countrymen and won’t let them down.

"Para Sa ‘Yo Itong Laban Na ‘Ito." It’s no accident that that’s the title of Pacquiao’s newly released CD composed by Lito Camo.