By James Blears
Erik Morales could have lined up an easy opponent, looked fantastic and flattered himself in flattening him, thus assuring a blip free return against Manny Pacquiao. But that’s just not Erik’s way. He’s an absolute perfectionist who never ducks a challenge and always takes on the very trickiest and toughest tests. It really unstuck him this time.
Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Hector Velazquez was also a highly risky venture, but for an altogether different reason, because the Mexican can slug, has a fighter’s heart, and one punch in boxing can change the best laid plans.
But Velazquez was right in front of Manny. He was never going anywhere. He did not provide the quicksilver slippery skills that Zahir Raheem confounded Erik with. And Manny’s extraordinary power locked on to him, and bulldozed him to a sixth Round TKO defeat.
Raheem of Olympic pedigree is so dazzlingly quick. Great Mexican fighters often tend to have problems with fast, slick US fighters. Boxers who confound and puzzle with flurries and clusters of punches, but who then don’t and won’t stick around to swap clobbering leather in a macho contest.
The person who was matchmaker for this mismatch of styles really does need a verbal clobbering, because it’s styles which make fights, and Zahir’s certainly didn’t complement Erik’s.
What a fascinating match up there would, could and should be….politics and feuding aside…between Zahir Raheem and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Top Rank has already confirmed that the fight between Erik and Manny will still go ahead on January 21st. And so it should.
Erik who out boxed Manny was always prepared to entertain a re-match. But the unanswered question remains as to how much more effective Manny would have been down the stretch, if he hadn’t picked up that nasty eye gash from an accidental clash of heads.
Also let’ put Erik’s defeat in perspective. That only makes three. Look back at some of the old timers, who admittedly fought far more often, but some of their chalked up losses reach double figures. Albeit that boxing then had a whole host more battle hardened hands on participants, who’d fight at the drop of a hat.
Erik came roaring back from his second loss against Marco Antonio Barrera, to defeat Manny. So this is an awkward hiccough, rather than the end of his boxing world.
Two bigger questions remain. How will Erik be able to boil down in weight for the next explosive chapter against Manny. Although in the flesh he always appears almost hollow cheeked and as slender as a willow, he’s tall, and age has provided him with more weight problems to solve.
The other even heavier question mark is whether Erik will now ever win his fourth coveted title at lightweight to make Mexican history. He nailed Raheem a couple of times, but wasn’t quick enough to follow up, and Raheem had him in real trouble several times. And Raheem’s major asset is his speed not heavy hands.
Marco Antonio Barrera resurrected himself after Manny wiped the floor with him, and he’s now back on top the world. Erik can do the same too.
The crucial difference is that Erik cares more about titles than Marco does. Just before this fight Erik’s flamboyant trainer Professor Al Stankie confided that that fact he wasn’t a world champion any more was playing on Erik’s mind as well as his lips.
Stankie also said that Erik was concerned that he was loosing the edge and polished glitter off his fighting skills.
Stankie did not agree. We’ll have to wait until Manny and Erik re-clash to find out.
