By Miguel Rivera
WBC junior welterweight champion Erik Morales (52-7, 36KOs) is training for his scheduled defense against undefeated Danny Garcia (22-0, 14KOs) on March 24th in Houston, Texas. Morales is still the last boxer to defeat pound-for-pound great Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38KOs), by twelve round decision on March 19, 2009. Morales lost his next two meetings with Pacquiao, both by knockout. Morales retired from boxing after his fourth straight loss in August 2007, and returned in March of 2010.
In his opinion, he's a much better fighter now than before. He would like to fight Pacquiao for a fourth time and prove their last two fights were flukes.
“I think my recent opponents thought I was the same guy who lost those fights to Manny Pacquiao, but when they fought me they realized they were going against a different Morales, the Erik from the old days. I made a lot of bad choices before I retired. I accepted a fight with Pacquiao in a division where I knew I couldn't make the weight. My life outside of the ring was in shambles. I wasn't in shape [for the Pacquiao fights] because I wasn't putting my full concentration on boxing. The Morales of today can defeat Pacquiao, and I have no doubt about that. Those last fights betweein the two of us, I wasn't even a shadow of the boxer than I am today," Morales said.
