Where would a win over Maidana rank for El Terrible?

Where would a win over Maidana rank for El Terrible?

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

April 4, 2011

When Erik “El Terrible” Morales steps into the ring on April 7^th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, he will do so against higher odds than the living legend has ever seen.

What Morales faces is the junior welterweight wrecking machine known as “Chino”, Marcos Rene Maidana of Argentina. Though never a legitimate world champion, Maidana is perhaps the stiffest test the Tijuana native has ever faced, and considering he has been in against names like Pacquiao and Barrera a combined six times, its not on account of a lack of names.

Morales initially set his sights on a showdown with fellow legendary Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, but when that fight fell through on a lack of commitment from Marquez to Golden Boy Promotions on a long-term deal, Morales pleaded for the void to be filled by Maidana. It didn't take very long for the contracts to be drawn up nor for either man to sign.

“You better tell the fans to wear all black because this will likely be Morales' funeral,” said one respected writer candidly upon the announcement of this fight.

Considering the volume of punishment Morales has absorbed over the course of a professional career that began when he was just seventeen, or nearly half his lifetime, many feel that he should not be in against the kind of concussive puncher that Maidana is.

Morales also took a three year break from the sport following a close loss to David Diaz in an effort to lift a title belt in his fourth weight class back in 2007. Morales returned to the ring last year and fought non-descript opposition in Mexico to shake the rust off. It's almost unanimous amongst experts that Morales picked the wrong name opponent to jump in the ring with for his first return to the limelight.

Which begs the question, where would a Morales upset of Maidana rank alongside his best wins ever? The only way to properly gauge that is to start by listing his best wins in order, which is quite a task to quantify. I've narrowed it down to his ten best wins and also include where I would rank a win over Maidana in April among them.Let's get to the list.

10. TKO7 Kevin Kelley [September 2, 2000] for interim WBC 126-pound title

Morales [37-0 at the time] was meeting his first real test at featherweight when he met the elder statesment Kelley [51-4-2 at the time, who ironically would fight until May 2009] who was thought to be on the steep decline of his career. He had recently suffered a loss to a .500 fighter and more notably been knocked out in a brawl of a fight with Naseem Hamed in '97 that saw the Prince taste the canvas numerous times in his first appearance in the States. Just as he was slipping into the sunset, Kelley scored a late stoppage of unbeaten prospect Frankie Archuleta to get the Morales fight and back onto HBO. While Kelley was definitely faded, he was a legitimate featherweight with good power and who also was a lefty, so he was no run of the mill opponent. He also obviously had the credentials of a once-world class fighter, having held the real WBC title for about a year. Morales had far less difficulty with Kelley than Naz did, proving his power carried well to 126 from 122 as he hurt Kelley nearly everytime he touched him. “The Flushing Flash” wasn't all the way gone as he was able to earn controversial decisions over future champion Humberto Soto as well as former title holder Carlos Hernandez before he hung them up for good. The title was a meaningless interim belt but it stood as a good litmus test for what Morales was capable of the higher he climbed in weight.

9. UD12 Guty Espadas, Jr. [February 17, 2001] for WBC 126-pound title

Ironically enough, Kevin Kelley was the replacement for Espadas in Morales' #10 best win when Guty suffered a broken collarbone in sparring. Morales entered this fight 39-0 and a huge favorite against reigning champion Espadas, 33-2 at the time, in a battle of fighters from fighting families. Son of former flyweight world champion Guty, Sr., Espadas, Jr. became the first natural born son of a world champ to achieve gold himself when he decisioned Luisito Espinoza in a bout for the vacant strap. Morales' father Jose was a flyweight in the '70s who knew firsthand the hardships and unlikelihood of making any real money in the sport. Morales and Espadas had a mutual respect for each other having come from poor families who used boxing as a way out. Espadas added a college degree as insisted on by his father prior to resuming his career, and his intelligence showed in the ring as he was able to frustrate the heavily favored Morales throughout. Morales landed at will early but Espadas kept coming and tested the gas tank of the challenger, forcing Morales into retreat in the final round. This came after Morales had his way with him for the first two minutes. Espadas' height was a challenge for Morales, who was not used to fighting bigger guys yet. Espadas used his reach well and Morales fought the wrong gameplan, trying to outbox the more natural boxer. Many of the rounds were close and there are some who maintain that Espadas, Jr. won the fight. Morales would more cleary defeat him years later, stopping him in four but it was when he was more of a gatekeeper. Espadas, Jr. still fights to this day and just unsuccessfully challenged for a featherweight world title against Elio Rojas. Underrated fight in Morales' career.

8. TKO4 Junior Jones [September 12, 1998] for WBC 130-pound title

Morales [30-0] had the huge benefit of forcing Jones to come into the lion's den of Tijuana in the Plaza de Torrs bull ring, where a very enthusiastic home crowd resembled that of what you would usually see at a soccer game. Jones [44-3 at the time] was coming off a violent fourth-round knockout loss in a see-saw battle at the hands of Kennedy McKinney in an upset, but had just previously dethroned Marco Antonio Barrera of his WBO 122-pound title and made a successful defense in a rematch. Jones handled the pressure very well, winning the first round easy and edging a close second according to the consensus. The third saw Morales bloodied and bruised in a high action stanza and the crowd a bit quieted. The rapid pace that was set caught up with Jones immediately, who looked finished in the fourth and began losing his technique and winging shots. Morales shortened up his game and crushed Jones with a series of right hands that sent Jones to the canvas in a somersault. Jones made it to his feet and mouthed an expletive before marching to his demise with seconds left in the round and the crowd in a frenzy. Morales demonstrated tremendous composure despite things going against him. Jones would fight once more in a title fight, losing to Paul Ingle in another war.

7. UD12 In-Jin Chi [July 28, 2001] for WBC 126-pound title

In the direct co-feature to the Roy Jones, Jr.-Julio Gonzalez light heavyweight title clash PPV that featured an otherwise barren undercard, this fight stole the show at the Staples Center and introduced the virtually uknown mandatory challenger Chi to the American boxing public. Morales [entering at 41-0] was coming off his tough fight against Guty Espadas, Jr. and some felt that the Tijuana native may have been slipping. If anything, Chi [24-1 previously] and his skull that makes Carlos Baldomir's seem thin would force the defending champion to go the distance. Chi was a fighter very similar to Morales, an impoverished upbringing led him to the sport and the Morales fight proved to be an opportunity to make earn some recognition, real money, and a title. Unfortunately for Chi, boxing was lightly regarded in Korea and later despite earning the WBC featherweight title later in his career he retired from boxing because the money was not enough to live on. Chi, despite being technically limited was in Morales' chest all night and smothered the Mexican fighter with limitless power punching. After Chi imposed his style early on, Morales made adjustments midway through to not allow himself to be tied up. Morales was cut by a headbutt midway through but pushed through it, later saying to the press, “I'm Mexican, I will never quit.” Both fighters suffered heavy swelling and despite having a healthy lead going into the twelfth Morales traded willingly with Chi and gave the paying fans their money's worth. Chi will forever be underrated and underutilized as a contender during his prime.

6. UD12 Paulie Ayala [November 16, 2002] for vacant WBC 126-pound title

Two weight classes below at bantamweight Paulie Ayala [34-1 coming in] earned his stripes by twice controversially beating an undefeated Johnny Tapia via decision in two explosive bouts. At 122 against Clarence “Bones” Adams, he also earned two questionable verdicts in another pair of fun fights. Even at 118, Ayala was never known for his power but relied on his volume punching style to carry him to points wins. At featherweight he was not going to have enough firepower to keep Morales off of him. Morales utilized his jab extremely well, landing at a clip of almost ten per round. Morales had no reason to trade with Ayala since he was giving the much better shots. What made the performance so impressive is that Ayala had always at least made things close and Morales nearly shut him out with ease. In the twelfth, Morales pushed forward looking for a stoppage but Ayala was game and brave, staying on his feet to the final bell. HBO's Jim Lampley called this at the time his best performance since the Barrera fight. This fight came immediately on the heels of the loss to Barrera, his first one which would drop him to 41-1 entering this fight. Morales showed he could bounce back from defeat with class with this brilliant performance.

5. UD12 Carlos Hernandez [July 31, 2004] for WBC/IBF 130-pound titles

Against Hernandez [40-3-1 coming in], the first fighter from El Salvador to become world champion, Morales would try and unify titles two weight classes above where he first won gold. This fight would go a long ways to helping cement Morales' Hall of Fame credentials and showcased his overlooked defensive prowess. Hernandez had previously lost to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Genaro Hernandez in two title tries before winning the vacant 130-pound title against David Santos and successfully defending against Steve Forbes. The bout was competitive early but the class of Morales [46-1 entering this one] shined through and once he had a lead he slowed the pace late as to make sure he had enough in the tank to make it through to the end. It was one of his more intelligent performances as he showed he could control his head on when to brawl and when to be smart, never letting his temper in the ring get to him.

4. KO11 Daniel Zaragoza [September 6, 1997] for WBC 122-pound title

Erik Morales earned his first world title the old fashioned way. He took on a long-reigning champion with an equally gold pedigree and went and took his title. The WBC didn't baby Morales or feed him a lameduck opponent for some runner-up title the way that a certain Rick Astley looking Mexican. “El Terrible” had to take on the very tough and rugged Zaragoza in his first HBO headlining bout and it was a classic tale of old man against young lion as Morales was dwarved in age by a nearly two-to-one ration with Zaragoza just shy of his 40^th birthday and Morales just a week past his 20^th. Zaragoza was as war-ridden as they come, having engaged in notable wars in Japan as well as against Paul Banke in a underrated trilogy as well as a career defining win over Wayne McCullough. Zaragoza entered the bout with a record of 14-4-3 in world title fights, just a few fights shy of Morales' entire pro career at the time. The durable Zaragoza was able to keep his legs under him and stay competitive by falling into a clinch where Morales was not yet skilled. Following the sixth round Zaragoza began to wilt, partially to age and also due to the great body work Morales had laid out in the groundwork, setting up two knockdowns that would lead to a stoppage in the eleventh. The bout retired Zaragoza who held high praise for the young fighter in the post-fight.

3. UD12 Jesus Chavez [February 28, 2004] for WBC 130-pound title

Regardless of the fact that Chavez [40-2 entering] fought half a majority of this bout with one arm, Morales [45-1] did what very few fighters of his nationality have been able to do legitimately, win three world titles in three difference weight classes and do it against non-handpicked opposition. Chavez presented a tough test but was a 3-to-1 underdog to hold onto the title he had won in his last fight against once-beaten Sirimongkol Singwancha. Early on, Chavez hurt Morales with a right hand. “El Terrible” answered back by flooring the champ twice. Chavez attempted to land another big right hand on the heels of being dropped twice, and the sensation it produced instead was severe pain for the champion. Chavez showed incredible heart in continuing and making it to the end, even winning a few rounds along the way. Morales said he also hurt his hands in that wild second and said it kept him from throwing more. Hard to imagine how they would have fared with no injuries as they combined for more than 1,800 punches with most of them being power shots. Morales solidified his standing as an all-time Mexican great with this fight and it carried more weight than his later unification because he was still unproven at the weight.

2. SD12 Marco Antonio Barrera [February 19, 2000] for WBC/WBO 122-pound titles

Easily one of the greatest fights to ever take place on HBO airwaves, this super bantamweight unification fight occurred on the fifth anniversary of the network's groundbreaking Boxing After Dark series. Barrera was expected to be the one on the way out and many figured this fight to be Morales' emergence into superstardom, who would have known that it would launch both the victor and the defeated into that stratosphere?
This set the stage for one of the all-time great Mexican rivalries, Morales being the poor lower class laborer from Tijuana and Barrera from the upper middle class of Mexico City with fighting styles to match their upbringings. Prior to the fight, Barrera sucker punched Morales at a press conference and set Morales deep in dislike for his fellow compatriot. Everything boiled over into 36 rounds of mostly mayhem with this first fight featuring as much sustained action as you will ever see at this level of the sport. Barrera showed he could bounce back from two losses to Junior Jones with class as he was able to outbox Morales over long stretches of the fight. Morales would answer back by outfighting him, never allowing his opponent to string together much momentum as he always answered back with fluid combinations of his own. Round nine will long be remembered as one of the best in 122-pound history. Somewhere during the round, Morales gets stung by a series of blows near the ropes and looks like he might be on his way out. Just as it looks like he might slump to the canvas, he springs back with a wicked combination of his own that sent Barrera back on his heels. Morales tasted the canvas for the first time in his career, though many felt it was not a clean knockdown. Luckily for the Tijuana native it did not cost him the fight and he was able to edge a split decision victory, his lone win in their three great fights with each other. What Barrera was able to achieve following this fight only further enhanced this victory as he was a major pound-for-pound player for the remainder of his career until the last few years.

1. UD12 Manny Pacquiao [March 19, 2005] for world 130-pound title

On April 9^th, Morales will meet Maidana at the MGM Grand which coincidentally is the site of his last great triumph. Manny Pacquiao has lost exactly one time in the last eleven plus years, and it was a clear decision victory at the hands of Morales in one of the more memorable events HBO has put together in the last ten years. The fact that this fight was preceded by a thrilling title fight between Jorge Arce and Hussein Hussein had people wondering if the fireworks coming earlier than anticipated would throw off the two headliners. Instead they took the challenge to heart and delivered one of the best back-and-forth battles in the history of the 130-pound weight class. No meaningful belt was on the line but Pacquiao was the lineal super featherweight champion having brutally dethroned Morales rival Marco Antonio Barrera via late TKO prior to this fight. Morales begged for a Pacquiao fight and took it as an opportunity to one-up his enemy by picking apart the man who easily dispatched him. Morales fought what I would consider a wild controlled fight. He was able to counter punch brilliantly, but when he was tagged by a violent straight left now and again he would always come right back with heavy artillery of his own. This fight is almost unanimously credited with forcing Pacquiao to become a multi-dimensional fighter and on the road to becoming the legendary fighter he has evolved into. Morales was able to time Pacquiao's straight left and counter enough to bust Pacquiao up and force him to bleed. By midway through the fight, “El Terrible” and his white trunks were washed with his opponent's red blood. Pacquiao seemed heavily bothered by the lack of his invincibility having looked unbeatable in prior form. This was a crossroads fight for Morales and many figured he would give a good effort before succumbing to Manny's speed and power. Instead, it may stand as Morales' final stand as he cruised into the twelfth round with a narrow margin before warring it out with Pacquiao for no reason except to show his grit and his guts. Morales, in a move that proved what he lacked in brains he more than made up for in balls, switched southpaw and went into the jaws of the lion against Pacquiao's straight left hand, eating one whopper of one early in the round. He didn't allow it to phase him and he fought lefty for nearly the entire duration of the stanza. It took the fight to another stratosphere and you have to appreciate his candor in the post-fight interview with Larry Merchant, as he asked the longtime analyst, “Did you like it?” Merchant couldn't hide his appreciation, exclaiming, “I loved it.” Morales wasn't more than a two-to-one underdog heading in but the consensus was he was headed towards a retirement by signing for this fight. Instead, he derailed the “Pac Express” if only for a minute and helped force him and trainer Freddie Roach to reevaluate things. Morales would be competitive with Pacquiao in the subsequent rematch before being stopped in the championship rounds but at that point he was far too starved for the 130-pound division. The third fight was great action for less than nine minutes of work but it was far more one-sided. But what Morales comes away with is possibly the only post-Y2K defeat of one of the sport's all-time legends, and at a point when he was expected to be on the decline.

Where would a win over Maidana fit in?

Barring some sort of technical decision or disqualification victory, a win by Morales over the vastly physically more imposing Maidana would rank no worse than third in my opinion of biggest wins on the future Hall of Famer's ledger. He has never gone into a fight with the odds stacked so heavily against him. He has been in with les than modest opposition since returning to the ring following a three-year layoff. Maidana is coming off a loss but nearly decapitated Amir Khan who somehow outlasted him to the bell. He is a natural 140-pound beast while Morales' best work came 10 and 14 pounds lighter and almost a decade earlier. Morales has not won a key fight since besting Pacquiao in the same venue more than five years ago and he hasn't shown to be at that level since then. If Morales were able to outbox the crude Maidana and keep his legs long enough to survive the late rally pressure that he always brings, it would go down as one of the better old man performances in recent memory, akin to Roberto Duran beating Iran Barkley in their thrilling 1989 Fight of the Year. Duran, like Morales, was fighting far higher than where he achieved his best success and it was against a guy not regarded as the #1 in the division but perhaps the toughest. Maidana is not #1 at 140, nor is he #2, but he is possibly the toughest out in the deep junior welterweight class and his advantages all match up very well against “El Terrible”. Only the most diehard of Morales fans are giving him any sort of chance at pulling off the upset, which is a first for the living legend. He seems more motivated than he has been since returning to the ring and if he succumbs, he will go out on his shield. Make sure to tune in April 9^th for the possible last stand of an all-time Mexican great.