This weekend’s Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales junior welterweight fight has been as criticized as any pay per view in recent memory. While a terror in the lower weight classes in his prime, Morales is looked at as being too old and simply undersized against the devastating puncher from Argentina, whom he meets inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night.
Maidana is looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Amir Khan last December, a fight in which he showed much grit in rising from a first round knockdown, and in Morales he has picked a fighter with much name value but also a man who hasn’t scored a significant win on the world class stage in over five years. Some are going as far as to call the fight a slaughtering but one fellow champion isn’t so quick to write Morales off.
WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez is regarded as one of the sport’s rising stars and he has an abundant amount of respect for Morales. Alvarez knows it will be a dog fight but likes the Tijuana fighter to pull off the huge upset at night’s end.
“It will be a battle between Morales and Maidana but I know Morales will win the fight,” said Alvarez. “This is a very difficult fight but Morales definitely has the skills and experience to give Maidana a fight he has never experienced before. I know the spirit of the Mexican fighter and Morales is the best example of that spirit and style. It will be too much for Maidana in the end.”
Slideshow: Inside the MGM Grand with Miguel Cotto, the Tecate girls, Erik Morales, Marcos Maidana, Paulie Malignaggi and others
But what makes Alvarez believe that Morales, who held titles between 122 and 130 pounds and has never faced someone as imposing as Maidana, believe he can emerge victorious? Alvarez hints that Maidana’s limitations as a fighter will only play into the veteran’s hands.
“I’ve seen Maidana fight. I saw him struggle against DeMarcus Corley and lose to Andriy Kotelnik, neither of who are anywhere near the level of Morales. If Maidana thinks he can fight Morales the way he fought them, he’s going to have a long and difficult night,” Alvarez continued.
One thing you can say about the 20-year old Sinaloa fighter is that he is far from arrogant and has always shown a deep respect for his fighting countrymen. Alvarez knows fully just how important Morales’ legacy is and claims that he will have his country’s undying support tomorrow night,.
“The entire nation of Mexico is behind Morales and we are going to rally around him on Saturday.”
