BOXING: GLOVES AND HAPPINESS FOR PACQUIAO.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

Manny Pacquiao is going to get his wish. He is going to be able to use Reyes gloves for his rematch against Erik Morales on Saturday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao believes not being able to, because of contractual language, for their first fight March 19 is one reason why he lost a narrow unanimous decision to Morales.

To Pacquiao, using the Winning gloves preferred by Morales took steam out of his punches. The Reyes gloves are supposed to be puncher's gloves.

For the rematch, each fighter will be able to use whatever gloves he prefers.

During a recent conference call, Pacquiao was asked if not being able to use gloves he was accustomed to bothered him as much mentally as it did physically.

``Both,'' he said. ``It was a distraction and it was my first time using Winning gloves.''

Freddie Roach trains Pacquiao out of the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. He was emphatic about the difference in the gloves.

``The thing is that Winning gloves, they are like pillows,'' said Roach, one of today's very best trainers. ``They are not puncher's gloves, so they definitely have some effect on the punching power.

``I think we will be much more comfortable going into the fight with the gloves we choose and it will be be one less distraction.''

Morales, however, has scoffed all along at this notion, as well as at the myriad excuses that came out of the Pacquiao camp after Pacquiao's loss to Morales. Other reasons for the defeat ranged from problems Pacquiao was having with his promoter at the time, Murad Muhammad, to being unable to see after suffering a cut in the fifth round.

``I think, psychologically, maybe for him his wearing the (Reyes) gloves makes him feel that he is a stronger puncher than he really is,'' Morales said. ``All I can tell you is that I fight with both kinds of gloves and I knock people out with both kinds of gloves.

``So I know that the gloves don't mean anything. It is just how hard a puncher you are.''

Morales suggested that all of this talk about why the fight went his way is nothing more than head games.

``They are giving themselves a pep talk, sort of, you know, by talking about these things did happen, didn't happen the first time around,'' Morales said. ``The gloves are not going to make a big difference to me.

``It is not an issue to me, anyway. The issue is to be ready to fight, to be ready to give a good show of yourself.''

Which is something Morales did not do in his last fight - a decision loss to Zahir Raheem on Sept. 10 at Staples Center. Pacquiao fought on the card and stopped Hector Velazquez in the sixth round.

Going in, the deal was both Morales and Pacquiao had to win in order for this rematch to happen. After Morales lost, his promoter, Bob Arum, announced it would take place anyway.

But Morales needs a good performance against Pacquiao. If he looks as off as he did against Raheem, not only will Pacquiao win and win big, some might think Morales would be ready to call it quits.

Morales is aware of this pressure.

``Yes, without a doubt, the last fight was an embarrassment,'' Morales said. ``A lot of people pay the ticket. I could have done better, I should have done better.

``That never should have happened. That is why I want to do real well in this fight, get some credibility back into my career and with a great showing, I can.''

Morales and Pacquiao will fight for the World Boxing Council International super featherweight championship. Also on the line will be mandatory challenger status to WBC champion Marco Antonio Barrera.

Morales, 29, of Tijuana, is 48-3 with 34 knockouts. He has won world championships in the super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight divisions. The loss to Raheem was Morales' only fight at lightweight.

Pacquiao, 27, of the Philippines, is 40-3-2 with 32 knockouts. He has won world championships in the flyweight and super bantamweight divisions.

The card will be available on pay-per-view. Unfortunately, it lost some of its gusto Wednesday when it was announced top 10 middleweight Kelly Pavlik is off the card because of an injured hand.

Pavlik was supposed to fight Jose Luis Zertuche of Mexico in a 12-round special attraction. Zertuche (17-2-2, 13 KOs) was kept on the card and he will instead fight Fernando Zuniga (23-8, 18 KOs) of Downey via Ecuador.

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