Erik Morales Wants Mexican Fighter To Be Manny Pacquiao’s Next Opponent

Manny Pacquiao’s former rival Erik “El Terrible” Morales wants the Filipino legend to fight a Mexican fighter next.

Several years ago, Pacquiao constantly knocked out an array of Mexican boxers in a way nobody ever expected. In the process, Pacquiao earned the nickname “The Mexicutioner.” And one of the most notable battles he had against Mexican greats was his rivalry with Morales.

Pacquiao and Morales fought three times inside the ring. The historic bouts with “Pac-Man” have made Morales one of the fighters who are very familiar with how Pacquiao fights. Now that he’s in his 40’s, Pacquiao may have slowed down a bit but Morales thinks that his old rival is still “incredible.”

In a recent interview with Little Giant Boxing, Morales praised Pacquiao for being able to prolong his career without being worn out.

“It’s incredible. 25 years is a long time,” Morales said of Pacquiao’s lengthy career.

“To be able to do that level and still be able to do it, that’s what makes him incredible,” Morales added.

Unlike other ageing fighters, Pacquiao’s name is still at the top of the rankings and undeniably, most of the top welterweights still want to fight him. As much as Morales likes to see Pacquiao healthy, he feels a bit worried about who the Filipino legend should fight next.

According to Morales, Pacquiao should pick the right fights given his age. The Mexican legend even suggested that a good fight for Pacquiao is against a fighter who isn’t too big for him. Morales also said that Pacquiao should “take his precautions” despite constantly being called-out by the younger fighters.

“He’s got to take his precautions. Make sure that he fights the right guys. He’s got to pick the right guy and make sure that he’ll be able to do what he does. Especially with the top guys. Its’ not gonna be easy,” Morales explained.

When asked who Pacquiao should fight next, Morales was reluctant to answer at first but mentioned Mikey Garcia, a Mexican-American fighter who has been linked to Pacquiao in the past. Other than Mikey, Morales also think that Danny Garcia would be a good choice as the rest in the welterweight division are too big for him.

“The best fights would be against Mikey or Danny Garcia. Everybody else maybe a little bit too big,” Morales said.

Pacquiao is expected to return inside the ring this year. Reports claim that a fight against UFC star Conor McGregor is “viable” this 2020.