Friday evening, January 23, 2015, from 5:30-7:30PM, the first Mexican-born World Champion in 4 different weight divisions, Erik ?El Terrible? Morales was at Total Beverage Liquor Store, 900 E. 104th Ave. in Thornton, Colorado, signing autographs and taking pictures with the hundreds of fans who turned out.
TECATE (Kasey Farrar) in conjunction with CASA Magazine (Jesus Sanchez) brought the Mexican star to Total Beverage to help further promote TECATE products, with a chance to win tickets to the fight between Mike ?303? Alvarado and Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios, held at the 1ST BANK Center in Broomfield, Colorado, an added incentive.
Top Rank (Bob Arum) features TECATE as one of its? longest standing sponsors.
Morales officially retired from boxing last June (2014) but his last fight was in October 2012, him taking his time before announcing the decision to hang up the gloves being final.
You would never know Erik Morales is retired by the number of fans waiting in a line that carried well out the front door of Total Beverage to see the Mexican legend and he seemed surprised at the outpouring of support.
Fans waited patiently holding posters for Morales to autograph with cell phone cameras galore snapping pictures of him at every turn, him smiling and cordial.
I was granted an exclusive interview with the legendary Mexican Champion and with the help of Spanish interpreter Sam Cardenas, was able to get an update on his retirement and if Morales has slowed down any.
Surprising was that Morales has never met or seen rising Mexican super middleweight Gilberto Ramirez, who is featured in the co-main event versus Maxim Vlasov, Morales here solely to be part of the TECATE promotion.
Morales WILL be in attendance for the fight but admitted to not having seen either of the two previous bouts between Alvarado and Rios but full well knows the feeling of fighting someone a third time.
?El Terrible? was part of trilogy series of bouts with Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao, so his opinion has validation.
SJ: How hard is it to fight the same opponent three times? Is there any stone maybe left unturned?
EM: ?It?s hard to fight someone three times. You both know each others? strategies and techniques, so modifying anything is tough. You?ve studied each others? fight game to the point of exhaustion. There will be nothing surprising?.
SJ: You fought Marco Antonio Barrera three times, you winning the first, losing the next two. Same thing happened against Manny Pacquiao. Did you need a fourth fight with either man?
EM: ?Against Berrera, the second fight I clearly won and was robbed, the third fight was so close, so even, I was shocked when they gave it to him. Against Pacquiao, I was winning the fight until I got tired because of making weight. There should have been no need for a third fight with Pacquiao. Had me and Berrera had a fourth fight it would have been much closer but against Pacquiao the fight would have been in a different weight class?.
SJ: How do you see tomorrow nights? fight between Alvarado and Rios going?
EM: ?Mike Alvarado is not in a good position in his career right now. Brandon Rios is not yet as big-time as Alvarado but he?s younger and although losing to Pacquiao and Alvarado, he?s not been in as many physically tough fights. Too many tough fights (Prescott, Marquez and Provodnikov) have taken a major toll on the body of Mike Alvarado, that last fight with the Russian (Provodnikov) really hurt Alvarado, really beat him up. Alvarado no longer has his legs or velocity on his punches. I just don?t see any way realistically Alvarado can win this fight?. I
SJ: Pending the outcome of tomorrow?s Alvarado/Rios fight, would there be a need for a fourth bout?
EM: ?No, I don?t think so?.
SJ: Now that you have settled comfortably into retirement, are you at all involved in boxing?
EM: ?Yes. I work with youth in the Tijuana (Mexico) area and I?m in the camps of IBF World light flyweight champion, Javier ?Cobra? Mendoza (23-2-1, 19 KO?s), a young kid, Antonio ?Tony? Gutierrez (17-0-1, 7 KO?s), who?s a rising middleweight star, my younger brother, Ivan Morales (27-0, 15 KO?s) is the WBC International Silver Super flyweight Champion, bantamweight, Alberto ?Metro? Guevara (19-2, 7 KO?s), fights for the IBF World bantamweight title late next month in Indio, California, against Randy Caballero (22-0, 13 KO?s). I have a lot of young talent I?m helping develop that trains in Tijuana, Mexico. I represent each and accompany each to their fights. We?re training at altitude near Big Bear in California and hope to have a place there soon?.
SJ: What is the name of your promotions company?
EM: ?Box Latino is the name of my promotions company based in Tijuana, Mexico, and we work closely with Oscar de la hoya (Golden Boy Promotions) and Bob Arum (Top Rank)?.
If there?s one thing that resonates from a conversation with Morales, it?s that he takes no time deciding if he likes you or not. Once that has been established, he?s as engaging and honest a person you could ask for.
Thanks to Kasey Farrar (TECATE) for what was an honor and privilege for me to spend time with a true Mexican legend, the great Erik ?El Terrible? Morales.
