No, it’s not the a fight worthy of pay-per view. No, it’s not who we would like to see Marcos Maidana facing in his follow-up fight after his gutsy December performance against Amir Khan. And no, Erik Morales isn’t the same fighter who was a terror between 122 and 130 pounds during his peak years.
But like it or not, the April 9th Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales scrap is coming our way. Set to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the fight is looked at not just as a mismatch to most, but even a massacre, as some have put it. The two fighters met today for the first time since the announcement of their fight as they faced off in Los Angeles, California, and the tension in the air appeared to be sparse.
<--- Slideshow: Marcos Maidana and Erik Morales in Los Angeles
If there is one thing you can say about Morales it’s the fact that he is both fearless and stubborn, two reasons for him calling out his Argentinean foe in the first place. Morales had briefly retired from the sport following his August 2007 defeat to Chicago’s David Diaz but felt the itch to return, reeling off three victories in a mildly surprising 2010 campaign.
Asked why he felt the need to come back to a sport that has offered up so much punishment for Morales, the Tijuana fighter spoke with a slight chip on his shoulder.
“Why shouldn’t I come back?” asked Morales. “I didn’t deserve to go out like I did. I have goals to reach. I’m back because I want to be back. Other opponents were offered to me, but Maidana is a great opponent for me and who I want to fight.”
Maidana is definitely a rare breed, as the 27-year old comes equipped with two of the heaviest hands in the business, as evidenced by his 27 knockouts in 29 victories against two losses. Against Khan he was able to land plenty of leather over the second half of the bout, even having his British foil in dire straits in the 10th round, but was unable to polish him off in losing a very close decision.
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That defeat is something that Maidana hasn’t fully overcome.
“I have a lot of anger in me,” said the man nicknamed ‘Chino’. “I want to knock out my opponent. It’s what I have to do.”
Judging from his tone it’s hard to decipher whether this contest is personal or not for the Buenos Aires native but his following statements show the kind of admiration he has towards the former three-division champion Morales.
“I’m proud to be here facing Erik Morales,” Maidana continued. “Beating a legend like him would help me build myself up to where I want to be. I don’t think he will be able to withstand my pressure. I didn’t ask for the fight, Morales did and I accepted.”
Fair enough. For now we have a calm before the storm but come April things should be heating up in Las Vegas.
