By James Blears
Former triple world champion Erik Morales has celebrated his twenty ninth birthday in spectacular hard working style in the gritty Pancho Rosales gym in Mexico City.
Erik who fights Zahir Raheem at the Staples Center in LA on September 10th, has been conditioning himself for almost two months at the Otomi High Altitude Training Center perched in the mountains above Toluca.
As Erik did pads with veteran trainer Al Stankie, liberally walloping the Professor’s well protected leather padded ribcage with some wicked scimitar like hooks, a guard of honor of the San Miguel Mariachi Band INSIDE the ring, played and sang their hearts out!
Al who’s weaving padded left hand, sometimes resembles a New York traffic cop gone bananas, said: “Erik is in absolutely fantastic shape. Every day, we’ve been running for an hour and a half at ten thousand five hundred feet above sea level. Erik knows the importance of winning this fight.
“The Otomi to me is the ultimate of fighting preparation locations. There’s nothing to do up there apart from getting in fantastic shape. There’s no girls like in Los Angeles, there’s just the trainers, fighters and managers.
“He says Stankie…I’m no longer a champion. And I’ve told him. Don’t worry son, you’ll be a champion again before it’s all over.”
Al says Raheem is slick and quick, so the game plan is for Erik to cut him off, trap him, stay tall, throw shots down on him, and he’ll destroy him in six or less.
And looking ahead a tad, Erik said that a second fight against Manny Pacquiao at Super Featherweight would probably be his last in the division and then it would be straight on to whip the cream of the lightweight ranks. If he was able to win a world title there, he would be the first Mexican to have conquered four weight divisions.
Erik’s Dad and Manager Jose Morales is confirming that Pacquiao Two will probably take place in December.
Erik said: “To win four titles is a great opportunity. It has taken a long time to equal the record of Julio Cesar Chavez (who won titles in three weight divisions). Julio is a great friend. And there’s a chance to break that record. I think that will happen in June or July next year.”
But first he’s got to catch up with Raheem, and neutralize his speed. And in the Pancho Rosales gym, Erik treated us to some awesome glimpses of how he’ll achieve this. Dressed in a black sweat suit, sporting black headgear and black gloves, he sparred a few rounds with quicksilver lightweight Michael Clark (35-3) from Ohio. Mike said: “I told him, it’s been very difficult to figure him out. Every day he’s done something different. I haven’t yet figured out his best punch, but my best asset is my quickness and I need it!”
It was then the turn of fellow Mexican and former WBA bantamweight champion Julio Zarate ( 26-2) who pushed the pace and attacked behind a long left jab. Yet Erik was slipping and ducking many of his punches, while deftly parrying others with his gloves.
Afterwards Julio said: “We’ve got Erik up to maximum speed, he’s working so well, and he’s so well prepared. There aren’t going to be any problems in this fight.”
And it was all in the family on this special occasion as Erik declared that efforts are also being focused on younger brother Diego who takes on WBC Bantamweight Champion Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan on September. Southpaw Diego is a former WBO Super Flyweight champ.
