Tweet
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. [details]
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. [details]
Comment