Kevin Kelley at one time was considered the best featherweight among fighters, holding the WBC and WBU titles more than one time. He has been in the ring with Naseem Hamed, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, so there is some interest for Kelley who will observe the anticipated Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao bout this Saturday evening out in Las Vegas. ?I like Morales because of his style,? said Kelley from his home in Las Vegas. ?Pacquiao is a known commodity and when he fought Barrera he caught him off guard,? he said, referring to the Barrera loss to Pacquiao in November of 2003.
Though Kelley (55-6, 37 KO?s) hasn?t been that active, the 37-year-old known as ?The Flushing Flash? has ambitions of getting another title. It won?t be at 140, but an opportunity at another world title at 130.
He made a statement about being more active after defeating Felix St. Kitts at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, a TKO in the eighth round earlier this month. ?If I can?t do it, I won?t do it,? said Kelley, obviously answering the critics who say there is nothing more to accomplish.
?Athletes today triumph when the public says we can?t do it and it?s been proven we can do it,? said Kelley, referring to George Foreman who continued to battle opponents in his 40?s. And the plan for Kelley, when he is not commentating fights at ringside, is to reach that goal of getting another championship.
But the Morales fight is intriguing. Kelley doesn?t see a fight plan as to getting him in the ring again, but you never know. ?I have great respect for him,? said Kelley who lost to Morales by TKO in the seventh round for the WBC interim title at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso Texas in September of 2000.
Kelley took that fight with Morales with limited time to prepare and had eleven days to make weight at 126. ?It wasn?t an advantage or disadvantage to me,? he said. ?As you get older you adapt to certain changes and if I had to fight Morales again at that weight I would with no problem. The thing is I never left the division.?
Never left the division to Kelley meant staying around the boxing game. That?s why he has been around the gyms in Vegas since relocating there from Flushing, New York. He sees guys like Diego Corrales from time to time and occasionally will get in the ring and spar with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather and Kelley have become good friends out in the desert, a mutual respect for what they do. ?Mayweather is so tolerant and finds a way to win and rises to the level,? said Kelley.
On the bout that will finally take place, Mayweather against Gatti for the title at 140 on HBO pay-per-view June 25th at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Kelley said, ?Mayweather will win if Gatti can land a punch.?
In other words, Kelley sees Gatti as the fighter who knows how to protect himself from a punch which has enabled Gatti to become a warrior. ?Fighters like Mayweather like greatness so if Mayweather is having a bad day he is going to punish Gatti,? said Kelley.
And that Barrera fight was another one that Kelley will always recall. A major injury to his ribs, one that Kelley sustained before his fight with Barrera in April of 2003, was severe. Barrera would go on and TKO Kelley in round four.
It was the worst injury Kelley experienced in his career. ?I knew I was in trouble because I never had a rib injury before, and I couldn?t pull out of the fight,? he said. Barrera still fights on scheduled to face Mzonke Fana on HBO April 9th, defending the WBC super featherweight title at the Don Haskins Center.
?I never retired,? reiterated Kelley. So he is bound to be at ringside Saturday evening watching Pacquiao and Morales. And if the time is right and the opportunity is presented, those who know Kelley believe he will be in the ring fighting for another title soon.
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