Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera already have waged two magnificent fights in the ring. Another one is going on outside the ring as they work to make a rubber match reality. Negotiations for a much-anticipated third fight have been going on for a few weeks, but they’ll take a more serious tone Thursday when Morales promoter Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions meet to discuss it.
Arum and Schaefer are both in Big Bear, Calif., to attend media day for Oscar De La Hoya, their mutual star who is preparing for a Sept. 18 mega fight with undisputed middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins.
But while promoting Hopkins-De La Hoya, Arum and Schaefer also are paying attention to the smaller guys and hopeful they can work out a deal.
“It’s the right fight for both guys, and this is the right time,” Arum said.
Morales unified junior lightweight titles vs. Carlos Hernandez with a stellar performance last month. Barrera, who would move up in weight, reignited his career in June, sending Paulie Ayala into a retirement with a 10th-round knockout.
If Morales-Barrera III is made, they’d meet Nov. 27 (HBO PPV), either in Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
Arum, Morales, manager Fernando Beltran, HBO and Schaefer all want the fight. Barrera, however, is balking at the financial split. Arum originally offered a 60-40 split in favor of Morales but has come down to 57-43. Barrera wants parity.
“It’s up to Barrera,” Arum said. “Richard and I have no argument. It’s Barrera. The real issue is does he want to fight Morales?”
If a deal doesn’t get done, Arum said Morales would move to Nov. 6 and fight Manny Pacquiao, the featherweight star who made a splash last fall with a knockout of Barrera followed by an all-action draw with unified champ Juan Manuel Marquez in May.
Arum said a less likely possibility would be for Morales to face ex-champ Joel Casamayor.
“I’ve been talking to (Pacquiao promoter) Murad Muhammad about Morales and Pacquiao, and if I don’t get a Barrera fight done, that’s who we will fight,” Arum said. “The HBO guys feel Pacquiao is a bigger fight than Casamayor.”
If Barrera doesn’t fight Morales he’ll still fight Nov. 27, the date HBO PPV is holding for a Golden Boy Promotions card. Schaefer said Barrera wants a rematch with Pacquiao, but if Pacquiao fights Morales instead they’d go to their next option, which is junior lightweight titlist Mike Anchondo.
“Marco and I met in Mexico, and we talked about everything,” Schaefer said. “He’s deciding what he wants to do. I think Morales is the right fight.”
Morales edged Barrera on a controversial split decision in their classic 2000 junior featherweight unification bout. Barrera avenged the loss with a similarly controversial unanimous decision in the 2002 rematch to determine featherweight supremacy.
