This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada the boxing crowd witnessed BRAVADO in the standard tradition of boxing for the littler and lighter men. No it may not had been a pretty sight for the losers weighing money on a sure thing, nor would it have been easier to bet more going the other way -but man does not leave his battle scars in the ring, anymore than he lives by bread alone always. Erik “El Terrible” Morales, 48-2, 34 KO’s, can now boldly be called the emancipator of all junior lightweight entrants at the garden gate, as he solely dictated as to why he is standing exactly there to the anticipation of a waged fourth and thrilling Marco Antonio Barrera legitimate nightmare! Erik Morales has never left. With both guns blazing, he went out like that, a winner. Morales defeated Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, 39-3-2, 30 KO’s, by a close hard fought unanimous decision with all three judges in unison scoring the bout 115-113, but more amazing was the fact that for all the buzz on the power concepts for compact punching Pacquiao, it was contained by wrecking shots Morales threw and connected on Manny, not the other way around. Erik was just too truer to 130 LBS than Manny ever was to legitimately consider being or imagined, and why sell you short on anything less?
Morales boxed beautifully for most of the rounds to win. Pacquiao sustained a straight laceration on his right eye which bled in the fifth round (ruled a punch), but that did not impede anything. Both slugged amidst center ring like infuriated warriors measuring up to the task of slaying the other. Neither took backward steps and willingly looked to tee off on each other. Only difference was the weight disparity Pacquiao looked slightly in out of his element with, of which many a fully-fledged featherweight moving up has had to adjust to in the past with. There was plentiful gasoline in these tanks to make a rematch most gamely as if eminently for Manny Pacquiao, if he really wanted it to fall back on.
Ironically the one he’d had counted on for this, has now afforded him facing the possibility for backpacking himself right back to the featherweight division for the multiple belt holder Juan Manuel Marquez who’s back in the picture.
WBA Super Flyweight Champion Martin “El Gallo” Castillo, 28-1, 16 KO’s, made his first title defense since winning it in as much fashion he did against Alexander Munoz last December, making this fight a treat. He absolutely dominated the once feared and former WBA Flyweight ruler, Eric Morel, 34-2, 18 KO’s, taking a huge chunk out of what amateur fighting has truly done for him. Castillo has had one hundred and eighty of them, and owned a piece of Erik Morel in that department.
Morel was once considered to be the heir to “Too Sharp” Johnson’s throne, but on this night he was more than a step behind as Castillo thoroughly kept him off balance and at bay with jabs and aggression unseen since looking back when he defeated Morel in the amateurs.
You could’ve just thrown your smart money away after the third round when Martin began to just get started by power punching Morel, who danced on tap away with so much as beholding a popgun in his arsenal having anything to back the rock solid Castillo with. Martin is a credit to boxing showing brilliance and physical conditioning par excellence. He also has the best mental toughness going today. Scores rendered were all the same at 119-109 unanimously for Martin Castillo. Congratulations to Team-Castillo, manager Frank Espinoza, and company.
It is no small coincidence as to why RSR rates WBC Light Flyweight destroyer Jorge Armando Arce, 39-3-1, 29 KO’s, as the number one light flyweight. He annihilated Jeff Fenech’s prot?g?, Hussein Hussein 26-2, 20 KO’s, before trimming his sails by a merciful TKO. Arce so devastated the contingent that he forced Fenech to climb into the ring to ask for the stoppage for the one sided beating. It ended with a slumped over Hussein entirely debilitated, and out of gas, in round ten.
Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., 17-0, 12 KO’s, won his bout against gamer Ryan Maraldo, 19-16-1, 5 KO’s. Chavez had a sparring session with him early on, then seemingly got bored with anything Maraldo had to offer and laid some heavy gloves on him. Time of the stoppage was 2:54 of the third.
