Few people remember the last time Erik Morales was booed.
Four years ago, Morales won a close decision over Guty Espadas with defensive tactics that helped win the fight but lose fans. From there on he adopted a go-for-broke style that has endeared him to boxing fans.
Morales and his “El Terrible” form returns to Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday to face another talented opponent, Zahir Raheem (26-1, 16 KOs), in a lightweight showdown. It’s Morales’ first fight at 135 pounds, after fighting at lower weights. If successful, the lanky Tijuana warrior will meet dangerous Manny Pacquiao in a rematch.
“I’m not thinking about any other fighter than Zahir Raheem,” said Morales (48-2, 34 KOs) in a telephone conference call. “This is going to be my first fight at 135 against a strong opponent.”
Perhaps that’s how Morales is able to perform at an intensity seldom seen in pro boxing. He might be likened to Sugar Ray Robinson as he rumbled through the middleweight ranks during the 1950s or Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, who are fighting in a few weeks and whose winner may fight Morales.
Morales has fought world champions and other future Hall of Fame candidates such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Paulie Ayala, Wayne McCullough, Junior Jones and Pacquiao. No easy touches for Morales.
Fans are lucky to be able to see Morales, whose career may be nearing an end.
Since bursting on the scene with his dominating victory over Daniel Zaragoza in 1997, Morales has delivered victories with different strokes like a young Steven Spielberg etching various adventure films, then showing another side decades later with his epic novel portrayals. It’s been that kind of evolution for Morales.
After pounding out a brutal head-clashing victory over Korea’s Injin Chi, he returned to fight Barrera. Morales had won the first fight, which was voted Fight of the Year in 2000.
With memories of a slugfest in which both Mexicans tore into each other like fighting roosters, fans were a mite disappointed when Barrera resorted to a more skillful defensive plan of darting in and out for 12 rounds.
Morales and the 10,000-plus fans that night expected another brawl; they got boxing instead, and Barrera was declared the victor. Though Morales lost the battle, he won the war in terms of regaining fight fans lost a few years earlier against Espadas. They never left again.
“You know, I’m very aware of what I’ve done already, but I think I can give the fans more,” said Morales, 29. “I think people expect more out of me. They expect bigger fights, more championships, you know, do something great at 135.”
Morales engages in every fight like a brash matador daring the powerful bulls to pierce his guard. With his wide assemblage of uppercuts, counter rights and left hooks, he’s rampaged through three weight divisions capturing numerous world titles.
“All those different world titles don’t mean nothing,” said Morales, who values winning fans as much as collecting easy title belts.
“You don’t have that many opportunities to do something great all of the time,” he said. “I think winning a fourth title (in a different weight division) would be great.”
But no fighter can take too many tough fights. The human body can endure only so much punishment before it begins to break down.
“I want to give the fans as much as I can for as long as I can,” said Morales.
Here’s an opportunity for Southern California boxing fans to see one of the greatest fighters from Mexico.
Hawaiian Punch
On the same Staples Center card, Brian Viloria, also known as the “Hawaiian Punch” gets a shot at WBC junior flyweight champion Eric Ortiz of Mexico City.
Viloria (17-0) has never fought at that low a weight limit since turning pro.
Ortiz (24-4-1) won the title in March by stopping Jose Antonio Aguirre in the second round.
Checking on Area Fighters
Featherweight Steve Luevano (28-0), whose family lives in Ontario and Fontana, meets Ruben Estanislao (17-8-2) Friday in Laughlin, Nev.
On the same fight card, welterweight Alex Velardez (14-1) will meet a fellow San Bernardino fighter, Vincent Garcia (7-2). Velardez, a southpaw, is the third oldest of the Velardez brothers.
Riverside’s Michael Franco won his first pro fight two weeks ago in a four-rounder near San Diego.
Blue and Gold Results
San Bernardino’s Victor Pasillas won the 80-pound intermediate title Sunday at the Blue and Gold amateur tournament at Baldwin Park.
Riverside’s Rafael Lopez, the younger brother of professional fighter Jose Lopez, stopped his 154-pound opponent in one round. Katherine Rodriguez, who also fights out of Riverside, lost a decision to Maria Rosales of Yuma, Calif., in a 110-pound bout.
Moreno Valley’s Kaliesha West captured her 115-pound weight class unopposed.
