Finkel confident Pacquiao will win

Respected boxing manager Shelly Finkel said yesterday he is confident Manny Pacquiao will beat Erik Morales in their scheduled 12-round bout, dubbed "The Battle," at the 19,000-seat Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Jan. 21.

"I don’t know if it will go the distance but I am confident Manny will win," said Finkel in an e-mail to The STAR.

Finkel, 61, signed a two-year contract to manage Pacquiao last February. He is joined in Pacquiao’s management team by Los Angeles lawyers Keith Davidson and Nicholas Khan.

Finkel said he’s not aware of Morales’ choice of gloves for the fight although there are unconfirmed reports he will wear a pair made by Mexican manufacturer Cleto Reyes like Pacquiao.

Asked what Pacquiao plans in the rematch, Finkel said, "he must not look for a knockout and box (Morales) from the first round." He meant Pacquiao should use his boxing skills and speed at the outset instead of rushing Morales for an early ending.

Finkel said he doesn’t know who’s the hungrier fighter but confirmed that Pacquiao is training "harder than ever."

"He is the most focused I have ever seen him," added Finkel.

There appeared to be no doubt in Finkel’s mind that Pacquiao will defeat Morales as he mused, "when he beats Morales, it will (be) either (Marco Antonio) Barrera or Morales (again)" as his next opponent.

The prospect of a Pacquiao-Morales trilogy looms in the horizon if the Filipino beats the Mexican in a close contest.

Morales scored a unanimous 12-round decision over Pacquiao in their first meeting last March. The three judges turned in identical scorecards of 115-113, meaning the bout was decided by a single round. It would’ve been a draw if Pacquiao won one more round in the judges’ scorecards.

Bothered by a cut inflicted by a headbutt in the fifth round, Pacquiao could hardly see Morales in the homestretch but mustered his last ounce of energy to nearly topple the lanky Tijuana fighter in the 12th round. Morales was wobbled by a flurry and held on to win.

The rematch is expected to be as tightly contested. Pacquiao is a 7-5 favorite to win and several Filipino experts are predicting a knockout over Morales in the late rounds like in the Barrera fight.

Morales, however, has never been stopped. He has gone down for a mandatory eight-count only once and it was a fluke knockdown scored by Barrera. Morales is known for his granite jaw and air-tight defense.

Finkel said the rematch is "very important for the sport" because of the dearth of exciting heavyweight fighters today.

In the Nov. 21, 2005, issue of Sports Illustrated, writer Richard O’Brien lamented the sad state of heavyweight boxing and consoled himself with the fact that "there are still superb fighters and compelling match-ups out there, just not among the big boys."

O’Brien named Pacquiao as one of the marquee fighters keeping the sport alive. He also cited lightweights Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo and middleweight Jermaine Taylor.

"Corrales and Castillo have traded knockout wins and (are) headed for a third bout, evoking comparisons to the Rocky Graziano-Tony Zale trilogy of the 1940s," wrote O’Brien. "Junior lightweight Manny (Pacman) Pacquiao, a southpaw power puncher and an action film superstar in his native Philippines, is poised to rip through the lighter weight divisions."

However, O’Brien said if boxing hopes to reclaim mainstream relevance, it will need, once again, a heavyweight savior because "the only people paying attention are Filipino movie buffs and your uncle Al who would still rather talk about Graziano and Zale."