Morales 140, Maidana 140

Morales, 140, Maidana 140

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 8, 2011

The last time Erik “El Terrible” Morales stepped foot into the MGM Grand for a professional prizefight, he scored the most illustrious win of his storied career, a clear cut twelve round unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, which serves as the last time the Filipino icon suffered defeat.

That bout took place little more than six years ago, and although Morales has slipped a peg or three since, he is obviously still a big enough draw to be headlining tonight's star studded HBO pay-per-view card from Las Vegas and has seen much of the same amount of people show up in support of him than in his heyday.

Morales [51-6, 35 KOs] is faced with a daunting task: outlast Argentinian junior welterweight power puncher Marcos Maidana over twelve rounds while piling up enough offense to earn a decision. Even those who feel that Morales has even a miniscule chance of winning; in their wildest dreams they could only see him edging a decision while having to deal with a high number of shaky moments.

Morales is too far gone, they say. His legs won't be able to withstand the pressure that Maidana will bring. Maidana [29-2, 27 KOs] may not be the best fighter at 140 pounds, or even the second best, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind he is the toughest, perhaps out of anyone south of the welterweight division.

Why Morales would basically beg promoter Golden Boy Promotions for this fight [after Juan Manuel Marquez passed on a showdown between the two legends] is beyond anyone's belief. He says he has a plan and that there is no way that Maidana hits harder than Manny Pacquiao and that he has glaring deficiencies that can be taken advantage of.

The first part of that statement is likely false. Maidana, who weighed in at 140 pounds, has put a damper in the careers of then undefeated Victor Ortiz and Victor Cayo and nearly knocked Amir Khan off his block as well. The second part of that statement is most definitely true, Maidana has shown even in victories against both that his poor footwork and slow handspeed can be taken advantage of, if at least for a minute.

One point of contention that some of the die hard supporters of Morales, who also tipped the scales at 140, hold is how absolutely average Maidana looked in his home country against the insanely well past it DeMarcus Corley at the end of last year. Maidana looked gassed after just a few rounds and most of the cleanest shots he landed were illegal shots to the back of the former 140 pound world champion's head.

That serves as Morales' only chance in most people's minds, that Maidana doesn't take an Erik Morales that spent three years on the sidelines and one year in against C-level opposition seriously. That perhaps the change in trainers to Rudy Perez, who trained Mexican legend and Morales rival Marco Antonio Barrera for much of his prime and in two wins against him, was too abrupt. In short, that Maidana did not do everything he could to prepare for the dearth of experience that Morales will bring to the table tonight.

The crowd support will be heavily in favor of Morales, who has seen the bright lights of Las Vegas on fight night an outstanding eighteen times [his record 14-4], six of which took place at the MGM where tonight's fight takes place.

If one were to compare what a Morales win would resemble in the historical context of the sport, one would have to travel back to 1989's Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, which saw a nearly 39-year old Roberto Duran outlast the gritty and tough Iran Barkley over twelve rounds in a world middleweight title fight, a division which was more than twenty pounds heavier than what was perceived as Duran's prime fighting weight.

Morales won his first world title at 122 pounds with an eleventh round stoppage of longtime reigning champ Daniel Zaragoza in 1997 and then followed it up with title claims in both the featherweight and super featherweight divisions over the early part of the millennium. Morales was just short of claiming a fourth world title in as many weight divisions when he lost a controversial decision to David Diaz in 2007 for the WBC lightweight title. Morales would then take a three year sabbatical from the sport before returning against non descript opponents last year in an attempt to shake off the rust.

One respected writer said yesterday that if Morales were to even make it the twelve round distance in defeat it would be the upset of the year. There's no doubt that if Morales were to somehow come away the victor, it would possibly be one of the biggest upsets this decade in high profile bouts and would instantly legitimize Morales as a threat in the junior welterweight division.

The idea that Morales could be a potential opponent for some of the top tier guys at 140 is unreal. Over the past ten years, one dream fight that hardcore fans have imagined but never felt was possible between Zab Judah and Erik Morales could possibly come to fruition if “El Terrible” pulls off an upset, or even looks decent in defeat. Judah, who once was the lineal welterweight champion when Morales was still plying his trade three divisions lower, expressed interest in the bout when it was brought to his attention at a fight card in Primm last night.

That very few are contemplating Morales' future sans retirement is indicative of how long the odds are of him pulling off the win. If Morales can even pull off an astounding old man performance for even one half of a fight, fans and pundits would feel that the main event gave them their money's worth. Most are crossing their fingers that the Mexican legend doesn't suffer an embarrassing defeat that puts a bitter end to one of the more storied careers of the past few decades. Either way, there is definitely drama tonight in Las Vegas' featured bout.

In the co-featured bout, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero [28-1-1, 18 KOs] of Gilroy, California looks to score a true career defining victory as he meets battle tested Australian warrior Michael “The Great” Katsidis in a twelve round interim title unification bout [yes, we've reached this point now] in the lightweight division. Both fighters weighed in at 134 pounds. Guerrero, who has claimed gold in both the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, has an opportunity to finally get that exclamation mark style victory that he has longed to secure since turning professional ten years ago. Katsidis [27-3, 22 KOs] is looking to bounce back from a defeat in last year's Fight of the Year candidate against reigning lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight in which Katsidis' face betrayed him the way it has in the past.

Katsidis' face rips like Kleenex at the first sign of wear, which works out favorably for Guerrero who will likely try and force an outside fight against his shorter armed opponent. If Katsidis can apply pressure early and take Guerrero off his game, the chance of an upset seems possible more than in any other televised bout. Two bouts that lay evidence to a gameplan that can be implemented against Guerrero in order to earn a victory are the two fights the Gilroy, California native had with fringe gatekeeper Gamaliel Diaz just prior to jumping into top tier competition. The first fight saw Diaz work the inside distance perfectly as he secured a split decision to hand Guerrero his first loss. In the rematch two fights later, Guerrero opened up a big lead early as he dropped Diaz early but allowed him to fight his way back into contention before being stopped by a single body shot in the sixth. If Katsidis implores the same kind of gameplan, he could walk away with the victory.

In his toughest fight since returning to the ring following a layoff due to incarceration, James Kirkland [27-0, 24 KOs] meets former fringe junior middleweight beltholder Nobuhiro Ishida [22-6-2, 7 KOs] of Japan in an eight round bout that saw both fighters weigh in at 158 pounds. Ishida maintains a lofty height advantage but Kirkland is expected to break him down in two or three rounds according to trainer Kenny Adams, who took over the career of the once troubled fighter following his release from jail stemming from a weapons charge in early 2009. Adams has Kirkland living and training out of Las Vegas and both trainer and fighter expect him to be back in the mix with the top names at 154 pounds by the end of the calendar year.

In the opening bout of the pay-per-view telecast, Paulie Malignaggi looks to avenge a defeat against Miguel Cotto as he takes on the less talented brother of the Puerto Rican family in Jose Miguel Cotto in a ten round welterweight bout. Malignaggi [28-4, 6 KOs] suffered his first defeat as a professional against Miguel in June of 2006, a fight in which “The Magic Man” was battered but showed immense heart as he gave Miguel all he could handle for twelve rounds, making it a close fight down the stretch. Jose Miguel Cotto [32-2-1, 24 KOs] nearly put a dent in the hype train of Saul Alvarez on HBO pay-per-view last year as he buzzed the red headed Mexican early on but later succumbed to a late stoppage. Both fighters weighed in at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

Weigh-In Quick Results:

Erik Morales [51-6, 35 KOs], 140 vs. Marcos Maidana [29-2, 27 KOs], 140 – 12 rounds interim WBA junior welterweight title

Robert Guerrero [28-1-1, 18 KOs], 134 vs. Michael Katsidis [27-3, 22 KOs], 134 – 12 rounds vacant interim WBA and interim WBO lightweight titles

James Kirkland [27-0, 24 KOs], 158 vs. Nobuhiro Ishida [22-6-2, 7 KOs], 158 – 8 rounds

Paulie Malignaggi [28-4, 6 KOs], 147 vs. Jose Miguel Cotto [32-2-1, 24 KOs], 147 – 10 rounds

Danny Garcia [20-0, 14 KOs], 139 vs. Nate Campbell [33-7-1, 25 KOs], 140 – 10 rounds

Mikael Zewski [8-0, 5 KOs], 151 vs. Clint Coronel [4-1-2, KO], 151 – 6 rounds

Rakhim Chakhkiev [9-0, 7 KOs], 203 vs. Harvey Jolly [11-16-1, 6 KOs], 203 – 4 rounds