LAS VEGAS -- His presence was low-key, but Erik Morales, looking fit and trim, was an interested attendee at Saturday morning's news conference in the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley media center at the MGM Grand, where Golden Boy announced the July 31 HB PPV rematch between lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez and former titleholder Juan Diaz, which will take place at Mandalay Bay.
Morales, one of Mexico's greatest fighters, won championships in three divisions -- junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight -- but his career went downhill in a hurry as he lost five of six fights before retiring in 2007 after an unsuccessful shot at then-lightweight titlist David Diaz.
The one win in the batch, however, was against Manny Pacquiao
in 2005 in the first fight of their trilogy. That remains Pacquiao's last loss.Like so many fighters who retire, Morales, 33 (but an old 33) couldn't stay away. He returned to outpoint former lightweight titlist Jose Alfaro at welterweight on March 27. It was an entertaining scrap, as all Morales fights are. Now, he intends to keep fighting and by the look of things he's serious because he looked in good shape.
Morales told me he plans to fight again on July 17 in Mexico. After that, he said he wants to fight the winner of Marquez-Diaz II at either junior welterweight or lightweight.
I never thought about a possible Diaz-Morales fight, but Marquez-Morales was one of the great matchups that didn't happen during the virtual round-robin between Marquez, Morales, Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera. It was talked about by both sides at one time or another, especially when they were both with Top Rank, but it never came off. I always wanted to see it.
I suppose if Marquez wins and Morales looks good this summer, it would be a possible fight.
"We have a lot of common opponents, but we never met up in the ring," Morales said of Marquez. "It would be exciting."
It wouldn't be the kind of pound-for-pound argument fight it would have been a few years ago, but if they want to fight, why not? If Morales is going to keep taking punches, he might as well be paid well for it.
Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer told me that he and Morales have been talking and that Marquez-Morales would be something possible later in the year.
Of course, with Morales back fighting and old rival Barrera continuing to fight well past his prime, I wouldn't be shocked at all if we saw Barrera-Morales IV. They had a great rivalry, which Barrera won 2-1. All three fights were close.
I'm not saying that I am hoping to see that fight or Morales against the Marquez-Diaz II winner. I'm just saying be prepared because either could happen.
Source: espn.go.com
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