Erik Morales has set his sights on becoming the first Mexican to win world titles at four different weights.
Morales returns to the ring later this month after an absence of over two years.
The 33-year-old, a seven-time world champion and the last man to defeat Manny Pacquiao, takes on former WBA lightweight champion Jose Alfaro in Monterrey on March 27 for the WBC Intercontinental welterweight crown.
Morales (48-6) first captured the WBC super bantamweight title in 1997 and held it through to 2000, making eight successful defences, also adding the WBO belt with his victory against another Mexican fighting legend, Marco Antonio Barrera.
He moved up in weight and in 2000 and won the WBC featherweight championship, which he held for two years, later recapturing the WBC featherweight belt in 2002.
He moved up again to add the WBC super featherweight title to his growing hardware collection in 2004 and five months later he took the IBF super featherweight title, before the IBA super featherweight belt against Pacquiao.
Morales' victims over the years reads like a who's who list and, in addition to Pacquiao and Barrera, includes Pauli Ayala, Irishman Wayne McCullough, Junior Jones, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Guty Espadas, Jr., Daniel Zaragoza and Kevin Kelly.
"I return with desire to succeed," said Morales. "My plan is to win my fourth world title. We chose Alfaro as my opponent because he is so respected.
"It's true, I had some personal problems, received bad advice and had many temptations. I worked hard on it and now I'm better than before. I feel much better, so we took a risk fighting a man of Alfaro's quality."
But Nicaraguan knockout specialist Alfaro (23-5), who has defeated world champions Prawet Singwancha and DeMarcus Corley, believes it's his time.
"Morales is finished," claimed the 26-year-old. "His past was great but not now. I'm younger, stronger and faster that him and I will demonstrate that on March 27 in Monterrey.
"Morales is definitely wrong to continue boxing. This is a business and something that gives me a better life. I will come to beat him and will win."
The undercard features a WBA light heavyweight eliminator between former champion Hugo Hernan Garay and Chris Henry, plus a strawweight throw-down between unbeaten WBA champion Roman "Chocolalito" Gonzalez (25-0, representing Nicaragua, and world rated Mexican contender Juan Hernandez (15-1).
Source: espnstar.com
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