Say what you want about their 1st fight but its one of my favorite Pacquiao fights..despite being sold out by Murad Muhammad (being forced to wear that pillow gloves) and being Headbutted early in the fight which caused some major sight problems..a not yet prime Pac showed his heart and give Morales a tough fight despite all the disadvantages...I say Prime 4 Prime (weight a non factor) Pac would still tko Morales at the 11th round.
I think it would be one of those back and forth things like Vasquez-Marquez, Morales-Barrera, Zale-Graziano...say 5 fights, all in which both are prime, Pac wins 5, Morales 3.
I think both fighters were at their best in different divisions. Pacquiao at 140-147lbs. Morales between 126-130lbs. I'd favour Pacquiao to come out on top in a trilogy, but it'd be no cakewalk. Morales' style proved difficult for the Filipino to overcome.
Morales ..A younger Morales matches a prime Manny's offensive out put and is just if not more aggressive ..This aint Juan Manual Marquez were talking about here !
The idea that a SBW Morales was an unbeatable monster from outer space is a myth, and always has been a myth. Who did he beat in dominant fashion at Super Bantamweight to warrant such talk? Daniel Zaragoza? Morales was getting tagged often, and this was a horribly faded Zaragoza who would soon retire afterwards. Who else? Wayne McCullough. Again, not a terribly impressive performance, and not a terribly impressive foe either. The most significant and difficult fight he had at 122lbs most people seem to be in agreement he lost. Junior Jones was taken out in double quick time by Kennedy Mckinney prior to stepping in the ring with El Terrible. I consider Featherweight & Super Featherweight to have been Erik Morales' best weights. He beat the likes of Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez, and had two close fights with Barrera, and secured his best ever win and performance in his first fight with Manny Pacquiao. Put in a great defensive performance against Paulie Ayala, and most people seem to think he deserved the nod in his rematch with Marco. Not only did Morales face tougher opponents above 122lbs, but he seemed to perform better and more consistantly, too. Let's hear your compelling argument as to why Morales was at his most effective at 122lbs.
Honestly the two were at their absolute peak in divisions outisde of the one where they fought. There were circumstances surrounding each fighter throughout the trilogy, why not take it as we were given it? Pac brutalized the same Barrera that outgunned Morales in the midst of their trilogy, but we never take that into account? Hint: he probably would have lost