By Jack Welsh

Erik Morales, impossible to deny, took warrior-hood to a new echelon that left southpaw Manny Pacquiao valiantly in his wake while dramatically winning a close 12-round decision Saturday in the MGM Grand Garden.

It was another spellbinder that had a sold out crowd of14,623 delirious from bell to bell as boxing delivered another super featherweight classic that didn’t need a title on the line in Las Vegas.

Morales, 130, the cherished “El Terrible” from Tijuana, Mx., was rarely faster out of the gate--whether he was counter-punching or backing up the vaunted Pacquiao. 129 1/2, whose speed and power punching did not impair the Mexican icon’s solid offense despite the Philippines’ 26-year-old superstar closing as a slight favorite with Nevada

oddsmakers.

Morales, 28, showing as a durable ironman, having won WBC crowns at 122, 126 and130 pounds, was pleased improving his 13-year credentials to 48-2, 35 KOs, having lost only to arch-rival Marco Antonio Barrera 2-1 in their classic trilogy since 2000.

“Pacquiao is a great fighter, but to be honest with you, I never really felt his punches and he never ever hurt me. We knew Manny was a tough guy and I caught him with everything in my book. I had to work very hard to beat him. I want to thank Bob Arum at Top Rank for making the fight and the people there who thought I could do it. I hope they can believe in me now,” the unmarked Morales reflected.

The larger, stronger Latino import won a bruising, pressure fight that wasn’t as close as the ringside judges voted once Morales controlled his intense rival in the middle rounds, the latter having moved up from 126, after winning the IBF featherweight belt in 2003.

Chuck Giampa, Dave Moretti,and Paul Smith, all Las Vegans, voted 115-113 for Morales. Trailing 86-85 after nine rounds, Pacquiao needed to sweep the last three rounds for a squeaker triumph but he came up too short, too late, taking only the torrid punch-out 12th round. This observer saw it 116-112 for Morales.

The deeply-dedicated fighters, between world championships, divided the first four rounds, the pride of Manila winning the first and third three minutes. For the taller Morales, it was stabbing with a superior jab and scoring with double and triple right hands that kept Pacquiao off balance in the second and fourth rounds.

Some spectators were waiting for the eager Filipino’s quick left hooks that felled Juan Manuel Marquez three times in the first round of their sizzling draw last May 8 in this same venue but Freddie Roach, the formers trainer, wanted a conservative workman in the early going.

It was Morales’ strategy that was basically dictating the fight’s tempo at that juncture and Pacquiao’s right eye appeared cut by the formers jab in a four-punch exchange in the fifth round. Referee Joe Cortez had ringside medics check the wound before letting the action continue, and there was some HBO pay-per-view rerun speculation that the cut may have come from an accidental clash of heads.

Pacquiao has never been a fighter with excuses for a loss since turning pro at 16, but he later declared “I got cut early from a head butt and it bothered me later trying to see punches.”

Before the fifth round ended, Morales shook Pacquiao again with a four-punch salvo before the bell.

Going in, Morales was determined to use his physical advantage against his gutsy adversary, standing 5’ 8” with a 72-inch reach with the hurly-burly Pacquiao, trying to get inside, gave up three inches in height and five in reach.

And for the pressuring Morales, it was showing that everything works off the jab as he won the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, shaking the hard-nosed Pacquiao with long and short rights to gain the edge in most exchanges. Even in the sixth when Asia’s biggest box office name landed three solid rights that Morales absorbed before countering.

Pacquiao, whose resume dipped to 38-3-2, 30 KOs begrudgingly, never stopped trying to land the bomb in the later rounds.

Though there were no knockdowns, there were moments when Morales’ combos sent the Pac Man into the ropes off balance and struggling to stay erect.

Though the decision was still up for grabs going into the 10th round, Morales protected his advantage by winning that heat when he moved Pacquiao into the ropes with a nine-punch flurry.

In round 11, Morales still had his rugged adversary to deal with and controlled the situation by sending the public’s betting favorite into the ropes with a double combination that nullified Manny’s desperation of four right hands.

Good thing too. Considering the popular Tijuana tormentor had dominated the 12th round early but Pacquiao swayed the judges’ vote with three rights and two jabs just before the bell. Morales’ margin was seven to five in rounds for a victory that wasn’t as close as the official scoring.

In the Compu-Box statistics, total punches thrown showed Morales landing 265 of 714 shots for 37 percent while Pacquiao’s accuracy of 24 percent came from 217 punches on target of 894 thrown.

Before Team Pacquiao jetted the Pacific for the Las Vegas showdown, where it is reported both fighters allegedly earned $2 million, Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said “nearly 80 million Filipinos will be following the Pac Man’s American adventure via television and radio.”

Despite the loss, there will still be multi-thousands awaiting Pacquiao’s arrival in Manila, but will the dissention now existing in the fighter’s management beat him home?

The issue creating friction among the Pac Man’s people was the choice of gloves where Pacquiao normally uses his regular Reyes gloves while Morales was given permission to wear gloves called Winning.

Now that the Nevada State Athletic Commission no longer requires boxers to wear the same gloves, the choices can vary. Murad Muhammad, Pacquiao’s promoter, apparently gave Morales an okay to wear Winning gloves when he signed the fight contract but he reportedly never told his fighter or Roach, the trainer.

Roach was irate, declaring Muhammad never asked or told the corner Morales and Pacquiao would be wearing the Winning gloves, noted for extra padding around the fists that has been known to negate heavy punchers’ power.

“With both guys wearing those gloves, it’s hard to really hurt an opponent if you can go to the body or head and fire like Manny can. It was like pillows compared to Reyes. Sure, we want a rematch and a rematch with Reyes gloves. It will be a different story,” Roach insisted.

Pacquiao did not elaborate on the gloves controversy other than to say “there was an awful lot of pressure put on me by people from my government, people who came to Las Vegas to see me fight. It was a good fight and I want to thank all the people who supported me back home and the Filipinos in the United States.”

ARCE WHIRLWIND TKO OVER AUSSIE

On any other night, the semi-final might have been the scene-stealer as Jorge Arce and Hussein Hussein turned every round into a war before the latter exploded to win the WBC flyweight eliminator with a TKO at 2:09 in the 10th round of a slated12-rounder which was part of HBO’s pay-per-view telecast.

Arce, 112, Los Mochis, Mx., was 9-1 in world championship fights until he was upset by former champion Michael Carbajal on an 11th round TKO for the WBO crown in 1999 in Tijuana. The TNT punching Arce came back to win the belt from Javier Lagos in 2000.

Arce was like a pressure-cooker against the determined Hussein in every round, repeatedly backing him up with heavy combinations to the head and body.

Hussein, 112, a sharp puncher out of Sydney, Aus., was quick out of the gate in the early rounds and faced Arce punch for punch when the pair went inside with mean combinations.

Arce, now on a roll of 19 straight, loaded up in the 10th round when he pinned Hussein on the ropes in a corner, ripping to the head and body before referee Vic Drakulich stopped it at 2:09 when trainer Jeff Fenech jumped into the ring.

Arce, earning $50,000, lifted his resume to 37-3-1, 29 KOs while Hussein picked up $25,000 as his log dipped to 26-2, 20 KOs.

J.C. CHAVEZ, JR., NOW BUSY LIKE DAD

Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., 139, has only been a pro for 18 months, but even at this juncture, it appears the incredible winning ways of his super legendary Mexican father have rubbed off.

Just 19, the son of the greatest four-time world champion for any boxing generation and Hall of Famer knows his responsibilities as a star for tomorrow and he showed it Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden when he TKO’d Ryan Maraldo,138, Indianapolis, Ind., at 2:56 of the third round of action booked for six rounds.

Chavez got his 12th stoppage on a 17-0.record in a match-up that he dictated from the opening bell. Maraldo, coming in with a 19-15-1, 5 KOs record, tried to make the newest hero out of Culiacan, Mx., catch some punches, but it was Julio Cesar who had all the accuracy and power to easily stagger the wearying Hoosier, who stayed gamely on his feet.

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist who is headquarters in Las Vegas. and a regular contributor to Boxing Press, Boxing Insider, Ringsports.Com, and Boxing In Las Vegas plus contributing to American sports publications.)