Erik Morales on The Dwindling State of Mexican Boxers
By Mark Vester
Recently, the media and fans in Mexico have been going in a panic over the state of Mexican boxers and the lack of superstars from the country. After the retirements of Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, the Mexican public began to search for new superstars to take their place. So far nobody has been able to fill the gaps that Barrera and Morales left.
Morales says the Mexican boxing scene is going through a transition phase where the superstar veterans are starting to retire and the new guys are just starting to get their feet wet. He says the transition to create new stars will take at least 18 months.
"I won't say there is a crisis because there are less chamnpions than last year, or because there are no figureheads. I think right now everything is in a transition stage, although I must warn you that it's taking longer than expected," Morales told The Record.
Morales says that a lot of the current Mexican boxers are not ready to take the place of him and Barrera, and some have fallen along the way while trying to get to that level. He says in two years the situation should sort itself out.
"What has happened is that some fighters have come out and so far are young and not ready, some have fallen real fast and others have run into some bad luck. I think that in two years, there will be more power and more champion in Mexico," Morales said.
"As much as the fans are missing us and want us to return, we matured and our time came. And others like (Jorge) Arce, (Fernando) Montiel, (Cristian) Mijares, and (Antonio) Margarito are already getting near their time to go - and who will take their place? That is our reality."
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