'El Terrible' gobbles up Pacman!

Ringside report by Trinidad Guzman
PHOTOS BY Chris Cozzone

Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, 48-2, (34), bounced back from his November defeat at the hands of arch nemesis Marco Antonio Barrera by battling tough Filipino superstar, Manny “Pacman” Pacquaio, 39-3-2, (30), for twelve grueling rounds enroute to a razor thin unanimous decision win.

 For somebody of his pedigree, Morales entered his contest with Pacquaio as a substantial underdog, but Pacquaio was riding a wave of public support after his destruction of Marco Antonio Barrera and his controversial draw with Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he dropped three times in then opening round of their contest. The betting public clearly figured Morales would be the third Mexican superstar to fall at the feet of Pacquaio, but Morales had different ideas.

 In the opening round of the bout, Pacquaio came out a bit more measured then many people expected him to. He did not just rush at Morales, but actually threw a few jabs at “El Terrible.” Morales was content to move around and wait for Pacquaio to make his charge.

 As soon as ”Pacman” made that charge at Morales the fight was on! Pacquaio landed a clean combination to the head of Morales and the next thing you knew, the two were trading toe-to-toe, with both fighters launching, and landing furious powershots.

 In the second round, the devastating flush powershots would continue to land for both fighters, but Morales appeared to have the edge in the round by pressing forward after Pacquaio and crushing him with wicked right hands that had the power punching Filipino raising his hands in an attempt to indicate that Morales could not hurt him.

 In the third round, the long right hand of Morales continued to find its mark, scoring cleanly whenever he threw it. Pacquaio continue to battle back with his own right-left combination shots to the face of Morales, but the cleaner, more effective shots, belonged to “El Terrible.”

 In the fourth round of the bout Morales made a huge statement by pushing Pacquaio back. The thunderous, flush shots that Morales had been landing throughout the bout appeared to be taking their toll on Pacquaio; he began to backpedal in an attempt to avoid being hit with so many powerful punches. Although Pacquaio was trying to move away from the offensive onslaught that was heading his way, he was very ineffective with his foot movement, allowing Morales to have great success as he advanced forward.

 Morales started the fifth round much the same as the previous round, pressing after Pacquaio, while ‘Pacman” moved straight back, with little idea of how to fight off his back foot. As they had done all fight long, the warriors would once again engage in a give and take firefight, but this time Pacquaio would come away with a cut right eye that was ruled to have been caused by a punch.

 Upon further review, it was apparent the cut was actually caused by an accidental headbutt and not a punch. The doctor was called in to observe the cut and it appeared that Pacquaio was severely bothered by the bleeding, there was even speculation amongst the media that Pacquaio may inform the ringside doctor that he could not continue.

 After a long delay by the doctor to assess the slashed right eye, Pacquaio was allowed to continue and finished the round in traditional “Pacman” style, throwing hard combination shots to the head of Morales.

 Pacquaio went back to pressing the action in the sixth frame of the bout, but Morales was right there waiting for him, unleashing uppercuts and bodyshots that kept Pacquaio on notice that if he was going to let his powerful fists fly, he was going to pay a hefty price for it.

 In the seventh round Pacquaio pressed forward and landed a huge combination shot to the head of Morales that had the sold out crowd at the MGM Grand jumping out of their seats. Not to be outdone, Morales would land two of his own booming right hands that had Pacquaio on uneasy street, visibly shaken, as he backpedaled inside the ring.

 As if the brutal exchanges in the round were not enough, Pacquaio would also come away with a nasty gash to his right eye that would require the doctor to pay him a visit in between rounds.

 Once again Pacquaio was allowed to continue, and took the opportunity to rest for the early part of the eighth round, until Morales started cracking him with right hands that forced him to suck up the fatigue he was battling and go right at “El Terrible,” landing his lighting quick combinations punches in an attempt to keep Morales at bay.

 In the ninth round the non-stop furious punching action finally started to take a toll on Morales, as he visible slowed during the round, choosing to move more and pot shot Pacquaio whenever the opportunity presented itself.

 For his part, Pacquaio continued to do what worked for him throughout the bout, ripping multiple combination shots from the southpaw stance straight down the pipe on Morales. As had been the case for most of the fight, the two combatants would once again stand to-to-toe at bells end.

 The tenth round showcased great success for both fighters. Morales was able to find a home for his right hand, while Pacquaio preferred the jab-left hand combination shots. Both fighters would give as well as they would take, and it was a testament to their heart and conditioning that they could compete at such a high level over the entire course of the bout.

 Just as Morales had tired in the ninth round, Pacquaio found himself in deep water in the eleventh round. Morales would once again press forward, enjoying great success whenever he could push Pacquaio backwards. “Pacman” always tried to fire back his own power shots, but he appeared to be a small step behind Morales in this round.

 The twelfth and final round began much the same as the previous eleven. Most of the rounds in the bout were extremely close, and all of them were very competitive. Morales was looking to pop his jab in the face of Pacquaio while “Pacman” was shooting his combination punches at Morales.

 Morales must have felt he had the bout in hand because for some reason he switched to southpaw and Pacquaio cracked him with a left hand that had Morales on wobbled legs. Pacquaio immediately saw that Morales was hurt, attacking with non-stop aggression. Morales, showcasing an iron chin, was able to weather the storm from Pacquaio, going on to take a very close unanimous decision win by scores of, 115-113,115-113 and 115-113.

 Fightnews scored the unbelievable contest a draw, 114-114.

 During the entire affair, the knowledgeable fight fans in attendance, and even the media were in awe at what they were witnessing. It was not a single round, or even two or three rounds where they put on a display of heart, courage, and determination, but it was twelve full rounds of non stop action that Erik Morales and Manny Pacquaio treated boxing fans to. I can say with 100% honesty, it was truly a privilege to have witnessed two blood and guts warriors fight their hearts and souls out live and in living color!

Arce KOs Hussein in war!

by Chris Bronte

In what can only be described as fight for the ages, flyweights Jorge “Travieso” Arce and Hussein Hussein brutalized eachother over 10 of the most scintillating rounds witnessed in recent years.

 It looked like it might be short night as Arce , who came roaring out of the blocks , wobbled his foe severely midway through the opening round and had him holding on for dear life. But Hussein showed a glimpse of the heart display later in the fight and came back to land some stiff shots of his own.

 From this point on the action never let up for one minute as the irresistible Arce pursued his opponent from corner to corner throwing every shot with deadly intentions. Hussein became a willing participant this war and never stopped punching himself but although a banger he could not put a dent in the iron chin of his macho opponent.

 In all honesty it would be difficult to describe or distinguish one round from the next as each one was as riveting as the one preceding it. But suffice to say that Arce always seemed to get the better of Hussein who never lacked for an answer to the aggressiveness of Arce and certainly never backed down, but was there was no doubt as the rounds wore on that he was taking a sustained beating.

 There was a small ray of hope for Hussein, when in the fifth round when a punch opened up a particularly nasty cut on the nose of Arce. The cut continued to bleed profusely as the fight wore on but it did nothing to discourage Arce the warrior who never gave Hussein any breathing space which subsequently led to the stoppage. This came at at 2:07 of the tenth round. For the preceding three rounds Hussein was beginning to wilt under the unrelenting pressure of Arce , and was taking a lot of punishment. But he always kept things interesting by firing back with quick combinations of his own which were invariably accurate, but to reiterate what has been said before; Arce chin was little short of being mustard tonight.

 Back to the stoppage, it came after Hussein had taken a particularly potent shot in the opening seconds of the round , which had on wobbly legs. Arce seized the moment and pursued his foe eventually pining him on the ropes where a series of flush shots pitched Hussein forward on his face. He bravely got up but by this time trainer Jeff Fenech leapt through the ropes looking to stop the carnage. Referee Vic Drakulich then stopped proceeding much to the dismay of Hussein who looked genuinely upset at the stoppage.

 The jubilant Arce now improves his record to 39-3-1,29 ko’s and puts himself in line to fight for the WBC flyweight title. Hussein falls to 26-2, 20 KOs but did himself absolutely no disservice and will surely be fighting on these big cards in the future.

Castillo dominates Morel!

by Chris Bronte

Defending his WBA super flyweight for the first time Martine “EL Gallo” Castillo won a lopsided decision over former WBA 112lb champ, Eric Morel of Puerto Rico. However, despite the scores of 119-109 three times , this was a competitive fight that never failed to entertain although to be it never really caught fire as one might have expected.

In the first stanza Castillo came out to hurt Morel to the body and he had some success , although this was probably Morel’s round as he landed cleanly with some sneaky left jabs.

Castillo continued to press forward in the second stanza and could be seen straffing Morel’s body with left and right hooks. Morel, obviously feeling the effects got opn his bike and tried to stay away and box from the out side.

Castillo continued with his crippling body assault throughout the third and even had Morel holding on after receiving beautiful right cross. However, Morel kept things interesting by landing some right hands of his own although they never troubled Catillo.

Morel’s reticence continued into the fourth as he was seen to be backing off too much and then would allow himself to be caught on the ropes and subjected to some brutal shots from his rampaging opponent. This pattern continued throughout the fifth and six rounds and it was clear that Castillo was building a commanding points lead.

However, in the seventh Morel did start to get back into the fight as Castillo allowed the pace to slacken, but he was still outhustling his foe.

 Castillo began to look distinctly ragged and was winging his shots by the ninth round , but he continued to land and was still the busier man. Morel for his part looked the fresher but refused to force matters and take the initiative.

The tenth was notable due to a clash of heads which opened up a small cut over Castillo’s right eye. Referee Robert Byrd paused the action so the doctor could look at the cut but it was not serious.

Going into the final two rounds it was clear that Morel had to do something spectacular to pull this one out of the bag, but although he definitely looked the fresher Morel just refused to stick it to Castillo who was tired but still busier. So Castillo thoroughly deserved the decision in this fight and moves his record to 28-1, 16 ko’s while Morel slips to 35-2, 18 ko’s.

Chavez, Jr. outclasses foe!

by Trinidad Guzman

On the undercard of Morales/Pacquaio, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., 17-0, (12) son of the legend Julio Cesar Chavez, remained undefeated earning a third round technical knockout victory over tough, but seriously limited, Ryan Maraldo, 19-16-1, (5)

 Although Maraldo was obviously carefully selected for the young Chavez, he came into the bout looking to score the monumental upset win. From the opening round he pressed forward after Chavez, landing decent head and body combination shots. The major problem for Maraldo was, he did not posses enough power to crack and egg.

 Chavez allowed Maraldo to come forward, keeping a tight defense while he ripped left hook body shots on his foe. Although Maraldo was trying to do some good work in the round, Chavez controlled the action, making it an easy round to score.

 In the second round of the bout, Chavez would be deducted one point for a low blow shot. Even though Maraldo could seriously use the extra point on the scorecards in retrospect, it was the worst thing that could have happened to Maraldo.

 After referee Toby Gibson deducted the point from Chavez, he exploded with a straight-ahead attack and began to land clean powershots to the head and body of Maraldo, cracking him with uppercuts and hooks to the head and body, and slicing his left eye, causing severe bleeding and swelling.

 In the third round of the bout, Chavez continued to batter Maraldo from pillar to post with uppercuts to the head, and a few body shots for good measure. Maraldo showed some serious grit by never going down, but his face was becoming a bloody mess. It was obvious that he did not possess enough power to stun Chavez and after another thumping right hand landed to the noggin of Maraldo referee Toby Gibson decide that he had seen enough, calling a halt to the bout at 2:56 seconds of round number three.

Alvarado gets by Lopez!

by Chris Bronte

In super welterweight action sluggers , Mike Alvarado (8-0,7 ko’s) and Hilario Lopez (7-3,5 ko’s) entertained the crowd over six action-packed rounds.

 The first round began with the lanky Lopez on his back foot switching stances and befuddling Alvarado .However, kept the pressure on and landed some jarring straight rights whenever he got close enough.

In the second stanza Lopez opted to stand and trade and it was to his benefit as he caught Alvarado in the corner with a corking right hook which had him on queer street. Sensing his opponent’s distress Lopez then launched into what must a have been a 40-50 punch onslaught , in an attempt to get Alvarado out of there, But to his credit Alvarado showed a terrific chin and stood up to the punishment and even came back a little towards the round’s end.

Coming out for the third Lopez understandably looked a little spent and was reluctant to stand and trade with his stockier foe. This spelt good news for Alvarado who controlled the pace and walked Lopez down through out the round.

By the fourth round Alvarado had really stamped his authority on the fight and was landing some horrible right hands. But Lopez showed a lot of heart and always fired back when backed into a “corner”.

The fifth round was pretty much all Alvarado as Lopez’s workrate had dropped substantially. Midway through the round Alvarado landed a low blow which gave Lopez a little breather as referee Jay Nady gave him some time to recover. This seemed to energize Lopez who then went toe-to-toe with his opponent for the remainder of the round , which had the crowd on it’s feet.

The last round was a real barn burner as both men showed trued grit as they partook in some heated exchanges. At one point it looked as if Lopez may go down from a crushing right hand but he kept his feet and charged to end the round, even stiffening Alvarado at the round’s conclusion. After six great rounds the judges gave scored it for Alvarado 58-56 twice and 58-57.

Gorres, Sosnowski victorious!

By Herman Patton

A battle between top super flyweight prospects Z Gorres (19-1-1, 10 KOs) and Glenn Donaire (13-2, 8 KOs) ended before it really got started. Gorres established his right jab in the opening of the bout but when he went to land a straight left to the body both fighters clashed heads. Donaire went to the canvas. Jay Nady gave Donaire a few minutes to recover, but he was hit with a right hook to the head sending him back down to the canvas. At this point Donaire claimed he could not see and Nady awarded Gorres the TKO1 win. Time was 2:03.

Heavyweight Albert Sosnowski (36-1, 22 KOs) scored a two-round demolition of Travis Fulton (10-9, 10 KOs). In the opening stanza, Sosnowski sent Fulton to the canvas by landing a straight right and left upstairs at the end of the round. After Sosnowski floored Fulton with an uppercut in round two, referee Toby Gibson stepped in and waved the fight over after Fulton showed no response to the combinations he was receiving from Sosnowski against the ropes. Time was 1:29.

	Gorres vs. Donaire
	Sosnowski vs. Fulton