Time is precious for Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez these days. At 37 years of age the three-division champion isn’t in the mood to hear any kind of banter regarding retirement talk, as he fully plans to close out his career with as much of a bang as possible. Marquez is coming off of a thrilling 9th round stoppage of Michael Katsidis in which he was floored in the third round before recovering to show that he still has plenty of moxie left in him. It’s no secret that the fight Marquez desires most is a third clash with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, whom he fought to a spirited draw in May of 2004 and lost a heated split decision almost four years later, but the two men are simply in different lanes at the moment. Looking for as lucrative of an alternative as possible, Marquez now seems all but set to face off with once-great Tijuana brawler Erik Morales in a bout that features two men with great names despite some diminished skills thrown in the bag as well.
Their had been whispers of the fight coming off soon after the Katsids scuffle but it seemed to be up in the air earlier this month as Marquez initially failed to pin ‘El Terrible’ as his foe, with financial terms seeming to be part of the problem as well as the proud champion’s motives towards facing other opposition.
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While there were question marks for a brief moment it now appears that Marquez and Morales have both signed on for the fight, which will take place on April 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Speaking to Jose Antonio Soriano at BoxingScene.com, Morales’ father and trainer Joe gave his thoughts.
“I’m glad that we came to a successful conclusion in our negotiations to carry out this fight,” a relieved Morales stated. “Hopefully both fighters give it a good show and a great fight for the fans. I know that both Erik and Juan Manuel will arrive in perfect condition on the day of the fight. I will do my best for my child to win.”
Despite Marquez holding titles at the lightweight division the bout will take place at 140 pounds, with the WBC’s Diamond Belt on the line. Morales is expected to begin training later this week at the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, Mexico for the contest.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
