Over the years, a stream of boxing matches, their subsequent rematches, and often trilogies have enthralled fans, keeping them on the edge of their seats. Most remain memorable. Yet, a chosen few manage to leave a lasting impact that even the passage of time struggles to erase. Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales fought three times.

Their matches took place over a span of beyond eighteen months. The first one occurred on March 19, 2005, and the last, the trilogy bout, on November 18, 2006. All three fights are now considered classics for the sheer quality of boxing displayed by the fighters. Morales inflicted Pacquiao’s third career defeat during the maiden bout at the MGM Grand Arena. Ten months later, the duo returned to Paradise, Nevada’s Thomas & Mack Center. Yesterday, on January 21, many boxing die-hards would have recalled the epic fight on its eighteenth anniversary.

Background

Months after retaining his Ring featherweight title, Manny Pacquiao moved up a division to stake a claim at the vacant WBC international and IBA super featherweight titles. At the opposite corner stood three-division champion Erik Morales. Labeled ‘Coming with Everything,’ the fight, albeit closely contested, ended with the Mexican champion winning unanimously. The scorecards of all three judges read the same: 115–113, in favor of Morales.

‘El Terrible’ subsequently decided to join the lightweight division. The WBC title turned vacant as a result. But in came ‘The Pacman’ charging. On September 10, 2005, he dispatched Hector Velazquez in the sixth round to become the new champion. Incidentally, on the same date and venue, the Staples Center, Morales lost his lightweight title fight to the American Zahir Raheem. It was time for the legend and the rising star to meet once again.

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The Fight

Unlike the first edition, Manny Pacquiao came prepared and outboxed Erik Morales from round one. The latter appeared vulnerable. He avoided knockdowns that came his way. In the second round, Morales clutched on to the ropes and avoided going down. Later, as the sixth round came to a close, a flurry of Pacquiao’s combinations saw ‘El Terrible’ lose balance and crash on referee Kenny Bayless.

‘The Pacman’ knocked down Erik Morales twice in the 10th round. With barely a minute left for the round to close, a solid left from the former had ‘El Terrible’ finally touching the canvas. However, he got up and resumed fighting. But by then, the writing on the wall appeared distinctive. In the last half-minute of the round, Manny Pacquiao pinned Erik Morales against the ropes.

An outburst of combinations from the Filipino champion sent him down to the canvas again. But that was enough to convince Bayless that the game was over for the Mexican legend, and he waived his hands, putting a stop to his misery.

Aftermath

Ten months later, the duo met for one last time. The trilogy occurred on November 18 at the same venue, the Thomas & Mack Center. This time, Manny Pacquiao didn’t allow the fight to extend. He knocked out Erik Morales in the third round, thus winning the series 2-1.

The Mexican legend reportedly considered retiring from the sport. He said, “Maybe it’s time I should no longer be doing this.” But he continued. Going back to the lightweight division, he fought David Diaz in 2007 but sadly lost unanimously. He went on a break and returned only on March 27, 2010. Erik Morales continued for the next two years. In 2012, after suffering two consecutive losses to Danny Garcia, the great man finally hung up his gloves.

Manny Pacquiao, on the other hand, continued his legendary winning streak for the next six years across divisions until Timothy Bradley controversially stopped him in 2012. Three years later, ‘The Pacman’ fought the epic against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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