There are many who feel that Erik Morales doesn’t deserve his big opportunity tonight – he’s never even beaten a lightweight.
That the title he’s fighting for isn’t much cop – the WBC belt was taken from Joel Casamayor and given to David Diaz, the man he fights tonight in Rosemont, IL.
But few have earned such a send off as Morales, nearly 31, who has put it all on the line so many times in a career brimming with guts and glory. He’s been given the chance to fight for a fourth-weight world title (having won titles at 122, 126 and 130-pounds), a record for a Mexican fighter.
Worlds away from the defense oriented ‘mature’ fighters, Morales is never going to hover out of punching range to steal openings in muted fashion. If he’s going to go down, Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales is going to punch every step of the way.
That’s what he did in his last two fights against Manny Pacquiao, who bludgeoned him into tenth- and third -round kayo losses. Though he allowed himself to be counted out on both occasions, Erik detonated on the younger, fresher man at every opportunity.
As long as those two super featherweight bouts lasted, they were value for money – all the way. Morales has a reason for the below-par showings. He was no longer strong in the super feather class. As when he’d hit the wall down at super bantam and feather, Erik’s again making that leap up to squeeze that something extra out of himself.
It’s worked in the past; following poor performances at a lower weight with great ones a few pounds up. But he may be trying the trick a time too many and a bridge too far. Diaz will be bigger than anyone he’s faced before and Morales’ legs and reflexes looked all done in last time out.
Diaz might be a few months older than Erik, but is far fresher.
Surely, fighting an aggressive lightweight – who also happens to be a southpaw, like Pacquiao – is just asking for trouble? Unlike his great rival Barrera, Morales hasn’t been able to adapt his style after the ravages of a long and hard career.
The lack of faith in Morales is still surprising, however. At last Tuesday’s national conference call, the boxing press wanted to talk about retirement as much as the actual fight.
Today’s is a reactionary culture fixated on brand names, no matter how dull they can be to watch. As evidence, look at Bernard Hopkins, whose messy win over human turtle Winky Wright earned in excess of 300,000 PPV buys.
Even less well-preserved stars like Roy Jones Jr and Evander Holyfield have carved out a niche on the comeback trail. Erik, 29, isn’t that far gone, and the man he faces tonight is hardly the best or most proven of the non-related Diazes that are monopolising the lightweight belts.
David has a lot of catching up to do. Like the man Roy Jones recently schooled, Anthony Hanshaw, Diaz took a two-year absense from the sport, which took something from his development as a fighter.
Jones surprised everyone last month, getting himself back into the world title race.
Tonight, Diaz will be eager to please (his home fans, the critics who denigrate his status as a world champion) and aggressive on his first big stage. He’s nothing Morales hasn’t seen before and shouldn’t be too hard to hit.
Heck, he was behind on points against Jose Armando Santa Cruz, before catching up by scoring a late KO.
A Mexican legend, Morales has beaten every man he has faced – including Pacquiao – with the exception of the negative Zahir Raheem. And Diaz has yet to look the complete fighter, although he can be very exciting.
Make no mistake – one of the game’s great warriors has been given a window of opportunity. It just happens to be his first world title tilt since a 2004 rubber match with Barrera.
It also happens to be in a fight that has the makings of a good fight.
