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by David P. Greisman - There were worse ways to go out of the sport they love, and the sport that loved them back, than to lose to whom they did — and how they did.
They were not beaten off of television and in a remote location, stubbornly lingering long past their shelf lives and far removed from the spotlight.
There was still sorrow in the final fights of Arturo Gatti and Diego Corrales, the same sadness that came in seeing Erik Morales felled in what truly must be his last stand. Morales spoke Saturday night with a mix of dejection and acceptance. The end is near, he said, and his career will end after he says goodbye with a fight in his native Tijuana.
There are worse ways to go out.
Morales lost to the top-rated fighter in the 140-pound division, a well-rounded boxer named Danny Garcia who, at 24, is a dozen years Morales’ junior. Garcia had turned pro nearly five years ago, when Morales had already begun his initial sabbatical, hanging up his gloves for two and a half years.
It had been the right choice for Morales to leave then, too.
He had lost four in a row, and five of his last six. The sole victory had come in the first episode of his trilogy with Manny Pacquiao. But then he came in out of shape and out of his element against a slick boxer named Zahir Raheem, was stopped by Pacquiao in their rematch, and stopped even sooner by Pacquiao in their rubber match. His last hurrah was a valiant yet unsuccessful challenge of lightweight titleholder David Diaz. [Click Here To Read More]
They were not beaten off of television and in a remote location, stubbornly lingering long past their shelf lives and far removed from the spotlight.
There was still sorrow in the final fights of Arturo Gatti and Diego Corrales, the same sadness that came in seeing Erik Morales felled in what truly must be his last stand. Morales spoke Saturday night with a mix of dejection and acceptance. The end is near, he said, and his career will end after he says goodbye with a fight in his native Tijuana.
There are worse ways to go out.
Morales lost to the top-rated fighter in the 140-pound division, a well-rounded boxer named Danny Garcia who, at 24, is a dozen years Morales’ junior. Garcia had turned pro nearly five years ago, when Morales had already begun his initial sabbatical, hanging up his gloves for two and a half years.
It had been the right choice for Morales to leave then, too.
He had lost four in a row, and five of his last six. The sole victory had come in the first episode of his trilogy with Manny Pacquiao. But then he came in out of shape and out of his element against a slick boxer named Zahir Raheem, was stopped by Pacquiao in their rematch, and stopped even sooner by Pacquiao in their rubber match. His last hurrah was a valiant yet unsuccessful challenge of lightweight titleholder David Diaz. [Click Here To Read More]
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