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I saw this fight knowing that Morales is on his way out and knowing nothing about García because I had never seen him before. The consensus was that García would be too fast and mobile for an aging Morales and that would lead to a lopsided win for the younger fighter.
After watching the fight, I was not too impressed but I give credit to García. He did not look like a special fighter but he did what he had to do. I think he could have done more but he knew that a legend like Morales could always have another proverbial "last hurrah", so he gave him respect and fought a disciplined fight for the cards. His approach seemed to be winning the fight round by round without getting in the line of fire, unnecessarily, against a proven battle-tested veteran like Erik Morales. I also think García showed poise throughout the fight as he never bum-rushed Morales in an amateurish way. Let's face it, Morales has been labeled as "shot" since he lost the rubber match to Barrera, yet he still managed to get provide some exciting battles after that, including the Maidana fight, which he could have won.
García is getting a bit of backlash due to the fact that he faced a worn Morales on his way out and that's what happens when you face a beloved and respected champion like Erik was. It's not much different that when Morales won his first title in 1997, at age 21, against a 39 year old Zaragoza.
By the way, this post has nothing to do with the fact that I am from Puerto Rico and García is of PR descent. Erik Morales is one of my favorite boxers ever and I thought he might have been able to pull this fight off. If there's any doubt, and anyone cares to read it, here's a repost of a tribute I did for Morales a few years back.
After watching the fight, I was not too impressed but I give credit to García. He did not look like a special fighter but he did what he had to do. I think he could have done more but he knew that a legend like Morales could always have another proverbial "last hurrah", so he gave him respect and fought a disciplined fight for the cards. His approach seemed to be winning the fight round by round without getting in the line of fire, unnecessarily, against a proven battle-tested veteran like Erik Morales. I also think García showed poise throughout the fight as he never bum-rushed Morales in an amateurish way. Let's face it, Morales has been labeled as "shot" since he lost the rubber match to Barrera, yet he still managed to get provide some exciting battles after that, including the Maidana fight, which he could have won.
García is getting a bit of backlash due to the fact that he faced a worn Morales on his way out and that's what happens when you face a beloved and respected champion like Erik was. It's not much different that when Morales won his first title in 1997, at age 21, against a 39 year old Zaragoza.
By the way, this post has nothing to do with the fact that I am from Puerto Rico and García is of PR descent. Erik Morales is one of my favorite boxers ever and I thought he might have been able to pull this fight off. If there's any doubt, and anyone cares to read it, here's a repost of a tribute I did for Morales a few years back.
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