Erik Morales faces David Diaz this Saturday night from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. They are calling this promotion ‘The War for 4′, alluding to Morales’ attempt at winning a major world title in his fourth weight class, something that so far has eluded other past Mexican greats.
Morales, one of the game’s standout performers of this past generation, has a legacy that is secure. There is a place awaiting him in Canastota one day and he will be remembered fondly, forever, by all boxing fans. Currently he has a record of 48-5, but what is alarming is that in his last five outings, he has gone 1-4, with each subsequent loss becoming more and more lopsided.
After he was dispatched in three rounds last November by Manny Pacquiao, many observers believed that the T.J. tough guy would walk away from the sport.
“I thought about retiring but I wanted to fight in Tijuana for the lightweight title,” he would say this past Monday afternoon at a press conference on Olvera Street in Los Angeles. “But I got the opportunity in Chicago.”
Morales believes that moving up five pounds will be of great benefit. He also believes that Diaz is a limited sort.
“At 135, my ability will be better,” he would say through Jorge Quezada. “I think he’s a good amateur fighter. But my experience should beat him.”
But haven’t we seen this before in 2007 in Diego Corrales-Joshua Clottey and Arturo Gatti-Alfonso Gomez? Fights that involved popular action fighters who had a lot of wear and tear, moving up in weight against stronger, younger, fresher opponents near the very twilight of their own careers?
Diaz, while not the most stylish fighter, is a rough, and rugged guy, who actually spent most of his career at jr. welterweight and earned a birth on the 1996 United States Olympic team at 139 pounds by upsetting Zab Judah. He’s not a pure puncher, but he is regarded as having heavy hands.
Which can be the worst kind of guy to face under these circumstances. Morales is just 30 years of age, but in boxing years he’s much older it seems. He’s been known to blow up in weight in between bouts and is known as someone who lives hard and fast.
But Morales is insistent that the move up to lightweight will give him a new lease of life.
His manager Fernando Beltran would recall this conversation he had with this fighter, “He said to me, ‘I’ve been doing everything you and Top Rank said about losing weight. After I beat Pacquiao the first time, I asked to go at 132-pounds for the rematch. And you guys told me, ‘You can make 130. And I made 130, again. Then after that fight when I got knocked out in ten rounds, I asked you, I needed three rounds. Then you put these professional people. They are very nice people and everything, but they’re good at helping fat ladies lose weight. But not a fighter. I need to take and throw punches in a fight.’
“So he told me he didn’t want to go in that fashion. If there was not a good fight for him out there, he was going to retire.”
Everyone involved is bracing for the possibility that this could be his swansong.
“Absolutely,” said Beltran, “if he loses, definitely it’s his last fight. If he wins, but not in good fashion, it’s definitely his last fight. If he knocks Diaz out in two or three, it’s probably his last fight. Fortunately, he made a lot of money. He’s a guy who gave a lot to the sport. He’s got nothing to prove. This is a great thing for him to break the Mexican record of four titles. He’s so motivated here, and I don’t think I can get him motivated for another fight.”
Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, who has forged a close relationship throughout the years with Morales says, “I hope, whatever this is, it’s something that satisfies him. If he wins, he’s satisfied that he can win and he can go his own way and either retire or take another fight if he wants, or if he loses he understands that it satisfies his own need to get back out into the ring. So I think this is a real big fight for him and his career as to determine where his future is.”
The decision whether to continue on with a veteran fighter who has done so much for the game – and also made money for a promotional company – as their skills seem to be diminishing is always a delicate one. On one hand, if you leave the fighter, it can be viewed as abandonment. Stay on and promote their fights, exploitation.
“This was his call to fight,” said Bob Arum last week via cellphone to Maxboxing. “We discussed it, he felt that the reason he had come up short is because of the fact that he really was struggling to make the weight and that the extra five pounds are going to be the difference.”
To the veteran promoter, this is a black-and-white issue.
“There’s two things here, one, it’s the weight issue. Or two, he’s shot. And we’ll find that out on August 4th.”
Perhaps Morales has one more great performance in his back-pocket. But then, some wondered that before his third outing against the hard-charging ‘Pac Man’. Difference being that Pacquiao is one of the game’s premier performers and fights at a frenetic pace, which simply never allowed Morales to set his feet and plant. Diaz, while naturally bigger, doesn’t have the offensive tools of the Filipino icon and fights at a much steadier pace.
“I feel good,” Morales would say. “I feel stronger. I’ve had good training, which will be reflected in the ring.
He admits that if he doesn’t perform to his standards, retirement could be in his near future. But when asked if he still has the same passion and zeal for combat, he would state, “I invite you to see on Saturday.”
BUZZKILL
You can scratch Chad Dawson-Antonio Tarver for the WBC lt. heavyweight title on September 29th on Showtime.
“As of now, there’s no fight,” said Gary Shaw, who represents Dawson. “We couldn’t find a site that could yield enough money to make the Tarver fight.”
Showtime, however, will telecast a bout that evening, as its part of their free preview weekend from what I’m told.
“Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to put everything in place to make that fight happen,” said Ken Hershman, boxing czar for the network, via email. “As such, it looks like we will be moving in a different direction on September 29th.”
Dawson will still be on the show. As for who, Shaw says: “He’ll fight Adrian Diaconu in his mandatory, unless someone else pops up from somewhere.”
Diaconu is no mis-mandatory. He’s a strong, rugged, hard punching, undefeated challenger that would make for a good fight. But, there’s also this old guy that everyone seems to conveniently forget that’s based out of Miami. He’d be more than willing and able to face Dawson.
“Absolutely, Glen’s very interested in fighting for a title, anywhere, anytime,” said manager Henry Foster of his fighter, Glen Johnson, who notched another win last Friday night.
As for the relatively short turnaround, Foster would state, “Not a problem. He’s ready to fight next week.”
REAL DEAL SCENARIO
I can see it now, Evander Holyfield, who will be stepping in for the ill Ruslan Chagaev, upsets Sultan Ibragimov on October 13th for the WBO heavyweight crown.
Then- and you know this is coming- a fight against IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko is set up for HBO. And this bout, which would create a lot of interest, no matter what anyone thinks, would be scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden.
Oh, wait, didn’t Ron Scott Stevens and his crew in New York basically suspend his license for life or something?
Uh, never mind.
Donald Tremblay of Main Events tells Maxboxing that the company is working to find a U.S. broadcast outlet for Ibragimov-Holyfield.
BUCKLE UP
On Wednesday afternoon, Hall-of-Fame trainer Emanuel Steward and his young charge Andy Lee escaped any real serious injury as they were involved in an auto accident that could’ve proved fatal.
Except that everyone involved had their seat belts on, something that Steward admits he doesn’t put on all the time. The only reason why he did this time was that they were riding in a convertible. Steward says he only suffered some minor injuries to his legs.
Buckling up is like putting your hands up in boxing. It may seem inconvenient and you may not always want to do it, but it can save you from bodily harm.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said a relieved Steward with a laugh. “That saved our lives. That accident could’ve ended up much worse for all of us.”
See, it does save lives.
The trainer promises that from this point forward he will make sure to buckle up. But Steward will not go as far as to sport headgear when driving.
REFEREE KUDOS
A big Siskel and Ebert (yeah, I’m going old school, here) ‘thumbs up’ to referee George Chip, who had no problems in penalizing Leon Bobo for excessive clinching against Antonio Davis this past Wednesday night.
Good for him (and even better for the sport if others followed suit).
This is boxing, not Greco-Roman wrestling. We need more guys like Chip to enforce this rule.
It’s corny, but I’ll say it, we need more Chips off the old block.
FRIDAY FLURRIES
I know some of you think that Floyd Mayweather has been dancing with the stars for the past few years, but he’ll literally be ‘Dancing with the Stars’ on ABC for it’s upcoming season. I hear he could be paired up with Karina Smirnoff, whose past partners include Mario ‘Sweet Feet’ Lopez and ‘Achy Breaky’ Billy Ray Cyrus…..Another sports figure, Mark Cuban, could be on the show from what I hear….A pair of Golden Boy prospects will perform in September. On the 8th, fast rising lightweight Abner Mares will headline a Telefutura show, maybe for a minor title. Then on the 28th, if his cuts are healed up, Vicente Escobedo could be making his return at the Casino Morongo in Southern California….I’ve been told that an offer has been made to ‘the Contender’ brass for Peter Manfredo Jr. to face Librado Andrade on October 6th on the Pacquiao-Barrera II undercard…..What’s it say about the current state of affairs when boxing is the cleanest of all the professional sports?…There’s a chance that WBO lightweight titlist Michael Katsidis could make his return on December 8th on the Mayweather-Hatton card….Geez, great trade by the Boston Celtics for Kevin Garnett. They seemingly threw in everybody this side of David Thirdkill and Scott Wedman….I’m assuming Kobe Bryant isn’t exactly amused…..
