I don’t know what it is about me but I always tend to root for the guys that hang around just a bit too long. On Saturday night the great Erik Morales will return to the ring and I have to confess I’m more interested and hopeful than I should be.
Morales hasn’t fought in almost three years and will face Jose Alfero in a fight scheduled to take place at a 142 lbs limit. Morales last faced David Diaz at lightweight in an attempt to become the first Mexican fighter to win a title in four divisions. Though I thought Morales squeaked out a decision he lost on the cards and retired.
It was likely a good choice. It was Morales’ fourth consecutive defeat and he looked to be a spent force. Morales still had admirable handspeed and boxing skills, but there was something wrong with his legs. Every minor punch that Diaz landed sent a quake through his body and I was relieved he made it to the final bell while still standing. It was a precipitous decline for the noble Morales, one of the most exciting and resilient fighters in recent boxing history.
I know better, but a part of me still wants to see Morales in the ring again, despite the fact that he is clearly past his best, Perhaps I want to see it for the same reason the great A. J. Liebling so enjoyed the triumphs of the older generation. Liebling wrote in The Sweet Science;
“When Joe Louis knocked Savold out, I came away singularly relieved – as if I, rather than Louis, had demonstrated resistance to the erosion of time. As long as Joe could get by, I felt, I had a link with an era when we were both a lot younger. Only the great champions give their fellow citizens time to feel that way about them, because only the great ones win the title young and hold on to it.”
Morales is still only 33 years old, roughly the same age as Floyd Mayweather. Though his fighting style made it improbably he would ever have a gentle exit, I long for one last good result.
Morales last great performance, perhaps his finest, was his magnificent victory over Manny Pacquiao. Morales was a bit past his best and Pacquiao still not quite at the height of his powers and it made for a rousing and moving battle. Morales won with grit and determination and… the true greatness that he had. It was an incredible performance, the defining night of the legend’s career, and in a way I think it was a setback which ultimately benefited Pacquiao.
It was a great night, and I want to see Morales one last time in victory. He lost the two subsequent matches to Pacquiao – no shame there – but it was deeply disturbing to see him bow out against a lesser foe in Diaz. I’m a great admirer of myth and legend, and as such respect the elder Gods as the strongest, so it was a bitter sight to watch El Terrible brought down by an ordinary fighter.
It’s possible that Morales will have recovered some of his physical tools and be more comfortable at a higher weight. Morales claims he wants a fourth bout with Pacquiao, pure folly, of course, but I hope some for some of his quality to return. Is it fantasy to imagine him eventually having his long deferred engagement with Juan Manuel Marquez? Probably, but I won’t deny I have the faintest hope.
There is probably a better chance Morales will go down to Alfaro, or the next mediocre fighter he faces. I realize that and I will be pacing furiously as I watch. But I will be watching. Morales is an old friend, and there is always hope, however foolish it might be.
