Pacquiao to fight like a pit bull, says Davidson

Beverly Hills lawyer Keith Davidson said yesterday Manny Pacquiao will fight Erik Morales like a pit bull in their scheduled 12-round bout at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Saturday night (Sunday morning, Manila).

Davidson, who with Nicholas Khan provides the legal dimension in Pacquiao’s management team led by Shelly Finkel, told The STAR in an e-mail from Los Angeles the fighter himself vowed that once he traps Morales, he’ll lock his jaws and not let him escape.

"Manny has prepared to face the Morales of three to four years back," said Davidson. "I know that Manny and (trainer) Freddie (Roach) have spent countless hours together discussing offensive and defensive strategy. Manny is in the best, most focused shape of his life. Manny is prepared to go 12 rounds but has the power and mental capacity to finish Morales off much sooner." Davidson said both fighters are "incredibly" hungry–which makes for a war to end all wars.

"Manny in his last four fights has a loss and a draw," continued Davidson. "He knows that he is at a major career threshold. A win puts him into the stratosphere of professional boxers at any level, anything else would be a serious blow to his record, allure and future prospects. Morales, on the other hand, has lost two of his last three. Likewise, anything but a win would be catastrophic for his career."

Asked what Pacquiao must do to beat Morales, Davidson said he would rather leave the technical aspects of ring execution to Roach but noted that the Mexican seemed to have difficulty with (Zahir) Raheem’s lateral movement and in and out engagements during their fight last September.

Davidson hinted that the Raheem fight exposed chinks in Morales’ armor that Pacquiao will exploit.

"I disagree that Morales is more technically proficient at this stage in his career," Davidson went on. "A close look at the Raheem fight shows a Morales lacking some of the brilliance of his earlier days. Whatever the reasons for those deficiencies, Manny is very well aware that this is a do or die situation for Morales."

On the issue of the brand of gloves to be used, Davidson said it won’t matter to Pacquiao what Morales wears.

"We understand that Morales is training in (Cleto) Reyes (gloves)," said Davidson. "What gloves Morales wears won’t matter much to Team Pacquiao. Whatever power Morales gains in switching to Reyes will be mitigated by ineffectiveness on defense. What we found with the (Japanese-made) Winning gloves of Pacquiao-Morales I was Morales using the pillow-like gloves as a shield to Manny’s left."

As for Pacquiao’s focus, Davidson assured there are no distractions.

"Manny is entirely focused," he said. "He has personally negotiated key points in his contract, has been made aware of his tax obligations, has a very close relationship with (promoter) Gary Shaw, Shelly, Nick and myself. He calls us regularly and is aware and has approved virtually every major decision in preparation for this fight. There are very few if any extraneous issues that Manny has dealt with.

"He knows what gloves he is wearing, he knows what hotel room he’ll be in, he knows where he’ll be training in Las Vegas, he knows where Jinkee will be sitting and lastly, he knows that he will walk away with a victory on Saturday."

Davidson said the hype surrounding the rematch has made it more dramatic and more emotional than their first encounter.

"The fight is worth more, both financially and in terms of career navigation for both fighters," pointed out Davidson. "Manny was offended by Morales’ comments at the first press conference where Morales insinuated that Manny and Freddie were not real men and were making excuses for the loss last March. Morales firing his father after his lackluster loss to Rahim is evidence of Morales’ desperation for victory this Saturday."

Regarding adjustments in the rematch, Davidson said it remains to be seen.

"Each boxer would be better off boxing a bit more," he mentioned. "We will see if either can do what they know is best. As fans, we can only hope that the fighters make no adjustments and relive their instant classic of March. Manny is excellent at chess. While he has the intellect to plan three or four moves ahead, his heart says to engage his opponents. I think Morales is much the same way."

What could be next for Pacquiao if and when he beats Morales?

Davidson replied in jest.

"Manny has asked Shelly to arrange a fight between him and Mike Tyson in General Santos City in June," joked Davidson. "We will see if the parties can agree on a catchweight and financials."

Obviously, the Pacquiao camp is in high spirits.