By Dr. Peter Edwards
Photo © Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages.com
Bittersweet redemption is the main objective of Mexican icon Erik Morales. After losing three out of his last four bouts, Morales has his back against the wall when he meets Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao for the third time on November 18 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Most boxing fans became aware of Morales when stopped the legendary Daniel Zaragoza for the WBC bantamweight title on September 6, 1997, the main event of an HBO telecast. The action packed bout with Zaragoza made Morales an instant hit with the bigwigs at HBO, and the boxing public.
Following the bout against Zaragoza, Morales made several more HBO appearances between 1998 and 1999, showcasing his skill level with impressive performances over Junior Jones and Wayne McCullough.
Morales’ career was breezing along at a steady pace, but he was still not a household name among casual boxing fans.
The turning point in Morales’ career came on February 19, 2000, when he squared off with Mexican rival Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas. Prior to the bout, Barrera was viewed by most as a done fighter. He was beaten twice by Junior Jones, which were his last two HBO appearances before he stepped in the ring with Morales.
After a few rounds, ringside observers and those watching on TV, knew they were witnessing something special. The action was fierce and the drama was nonstop. The two Mexican fighters traded rounds, punches, blood and tears as the Las Vegas crowd was on their feet in amazement that neither fighter was knocked out in the process.
As the bout entered the twelfth and final round, Morales was behind in the fight, at least in the minds of most viewers. To the surprise of the crowd and a majority of the television audience, Morales was squeak out a close split-decision victory. The result was not significant because the fight itself was an instant classic, one of the greatest Mexican wars in the history of the sport, and the fight gained further “legendary status when it was blessed with “fight of the year” honors.
Following the win over Barrera, he began beating the very best of the featherweight division, including Kevin Kelley, In Jin Chi and Guty Espades, Jr. Morales was very proud of the fact that he rarely took an easy fight. In 2002, he and Barrera locked horns again for a long awaited rematch. The fight lacked the blood and guts of the first fight as both men used their boxing skills to dictate the tempo. Still an exciting contest, some were disappointed that both fighters did not go to war. This time most observers saw Morales as the winner, but it was Barrera who was awarded a unanimous decision by the judges.
Morales did not take his first loss to heart because the popular opinion saw him as the winner. He marched forward, rolling over Paulie Ayala for the vacant WBC featherweight title, stopping Guty Espades, Jr. in a rematch and moving up to the super featherweight division in chase of a third title in his third weight class.
Some experts were skeptical of his move to 130-pounds, feeling that he may not be big enough or strong enough for the weight. He proved most wrong by beating Jesus Chavez for the WBC super featherweight title and then captured the IBF version by beating Carlos Hernandez.
On November 27, 2004 - he met Marco Antonio Barrera for the third time. Few knew what to expect from the fight. Barrera was still trying to rebuild his career after suffering a one-sided beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao a year earlier. Morales was viewed a beast coming into this contest, a solid favorite to win.
The trilogy bout was much closer to their first meeting as Barrera attacked from the start of the first round, and both of them fought at high pace for entire contest. In a minor upset, Barrera pulled away with a majority decision. The fight only infuriated Morales who threw water at Barrera even before the decision was announced.
In the tradition of never taking an easy fight, Morales signed to face Barrera conqueror Manny Pacquiao in a bout scheduled for March of 2005. Morales came to ring in a new role, as the underdog. The fight was being called the “fight of the year” before either man stepped inside the ring. Pacquiao was taking on the best Mexico had to offer, knocking out Barrera and fighting to a controversial draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. Morales was Mexico’s last hope for a win.
The fight delivered as promised, action and more action for twelve rounds. They fought often at close range with neither fighter taking a step back. Morales did his homework and was able to maneuver Pacquiao around the ring, keeping him at the end of his punches at all times and fighting when needed. When the unanimous decision was announced for Morales, his career was back on track in a big way.
But, he miscalculated his next career decision - a move up in weight to the lightweight limit of 135-pounds. The opponent of choice, Zahir Raheem. Morales and Pacquiao fought on the same card, September 10, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The card was set up as a preview card for a January pay-per-view rematch between Morales and Pacquaio. Most of the public overlooked Raheem, including Morales. He was no longer the bigger man at 135, being outhustled by the faster Raheem as he dropped a unanimous decision.
Regardless of the loss to Raheem, Morales' promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank decided to still go forward with the January pay-per-view date with Pacquiao. Yet again, Morales' made the wrong career move. After trying build his weight up in order to face Raheem at 135, and weighing as much as 147-pounds on the night of the fight, he almost destroyed himself by moving back down a division in order to make the 130-pound weight limit for Pacquiao.
Morales had the appearance of a dead man at the weigh-in, and seemed to be barely able to function backstage. Once he stepped in the ring with Pacquiao for the second time, he fought slow and sluggish. A competitive bout in the beginning, Morales appeared to fade with each passing round as Pacquiao grew stronger and began to punish him with power punches to the head and body. Between the eight and ninth rounds, Morales began complaining to his corner that he his legs were very tired and that he was feeling fatigued.
In the tenth, Morales had nothing left in the tank while Pacquiao began to unload the kitchen. A combination to the head sent Morales down to the floor. While he was down, his expression told the story of man that was beaten physically and mentally. He beat the count, but Pacquiao began to beat him down for the second knockdown. The referee had seen enough and stopped the contest. It was the first time Morales was knocked out in a prizefight.
After his loss to Pacquiao, rumors began to circulate that Morales was going to retire, that he was a shot fighter.
An immediate third meeting with Pacquiao was not something that people expected. Morales could not retire on a losing note, he wanted revenge and he also wanted to prove to himself that was still the same fighter. There are no excuses in this fight. Morales has undergone through the respected Velocity training program and has been carefully watched, trained and weighed througout his preparations for this fight.
Another loss would equate to retirement in the eyes of many, including Morales. It would be his fourth loss in five bouts. A win on the other hand would bring him back to the top. After losing a trilogy with Barrera, it would mentally kill him to lose another trilogy.
The people of Mexico will be chanting in support as he makes his way down to ring for what could be the final bout of his career. Win or lose, the one thing we can count on is Morales giving 100-percent in the ring.
