Roach: Khan ahead of Pacquiao -- Yahoo! Sports

Reuters

Britain's WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan is a superior boxer at 24 than Filipino Manny Pacquiao was at the same age, according to trainer Freddie Roach who works with both fighters.

Khan, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw renowned for his speed and hard work ethic and Roach firmly believes he will emulate the Filipino by becoming the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter within the next two years.

"Amir is little bit more ahead of Manny," the bespectacled Roach told Reuters at his Wild Card Boxing Club. "It took Manny Pacquiao eight years to get to the point where he became unbeatable and he has dominated every fight.

"Amir has been with me for just three years now and he's getting closer and closer.

"He will become the pound-for-pound king within a couple of years. He is well ahead of schedule and a big win here against Zab (Judah) would be another step towards Manny's record."

Khan, who has a career record of 25-1 with 17 knockouts, is scheduled to take on experienced American IBF holder Zab Judah in a unification fight in Las Vegas on July 23.

While the 33-year-old Judah is a highly respected figure in boxing, Roach is confident Khan will triumph in style at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino - and probably inside the 12 scheduled rounds.

"Zab will need to be at his best to survive in this one," said Roach, who has worked with 31 world champions in his Wild Card gym on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles.

"I am very confident in my guy. We are ready to fight, we know when and where to attack this guy and how to attack him. We will win and walk away.

"I do not see this fight going the distance. We will overwhelm him with our speed and power, and I think Zab doesn't really take to getting hit like he once did."

Khan agreed that a knockout was likely, but he was wary of making any iron-clad prediction.

"I really think I will get a knockout in this fight but I never go into a fight looking for a knockout because that's when you start making mistakes," the Englishman told Reuters before beginning a training session in the ring with Roach.

"I'm going to go in there boxing and if the knockout comes it comes. But we are ready for the full 12-round distance. We have worked very hard for this fight and we know that we've got a good game plan that I'm going to be following."

Khan, who won the WBA title against Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine two years ago, readily admits he would never have made such quick progress in his boxing career without the influence of Roach and 10-times world champion Pacquiao.

"They've brought the best out of me," he said. "Mentally they have made me a better fighter by thinking about what I need to do and sticking to a game plan whereas before I just used to go in there and fight with my heart.

"We know we've got the heart to go in there and fight with anyone but we need to have the game plan and I need to have the mental strength to stick to that game plan."

Asked what had been his greatest lesson from Pacquiao, Bolton-born Khan replied: "It's just good to be in the same camp as him. I work with him and I see what he does and, in a way, I just follow his customs.

"Manny is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and if I can even spar with him and do well against him that's a great confidence boost for me.

"He's so down-to-earth and he loves to help me. Just a few words from Manny is a big thing for me. We've become friends now. I'm 24 and I've been training with Manny since I was 22.

It's a great experience and you can't buy that experience."

Khan, a former Olympic silver medallist, has clear-cut goals well beyond his July 23 showdown with Judah.

"Later this year, I am hoping to fight Erik Morales," he said. "That would be a big fight for me. He's a big name over here in the States.

"From there, maybe I will move up to 147 (pounds) and try to take on Floyd Mayweather. That's what we are looking at. You need to have ambitions and my main goal is to fight for the pound-for-pound title.

"I've still got a long, long way to go and I am learning every day and in every fight. But I am getting there slowly."

Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Hatton set to climb off the canvas: Hitman considering dramatic comeback against Morales -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, dailymail.co.uk

Ricky Hatton is considering a multi-million-dollar comeback leading to a super-fight with Mexican legend Erik Morales.

The Hitman has resumed sparring with Commonwealth welterweight champion Denton Vassell, whom he promotes. He has been assured that his boxer's licence, revoked following his admission of cocaine abuse, is likely to be restored.

The offer to return from quasi-retirement was tabled by Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, while he was in Manchester for Amir Khan's world title defence against Paul McCloskey on Saturday night.

Hatton stands to earn a guaranteed minimum of £1.8million for any comeback fight, £2.4m if he goes straight to Morales. Pay-per-view television would boost purses substantially.

De la Hoya confirmed last night: 'Ricky against Morales would be a wonderful fight in Las Vegas, a great event, a meeting of two real legends of the sport. Fight fans all over the world will want to see that.'

Morales - two years older than Hatton at 34, and the last man to have defeated current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao - is in the midst of a comeback of his own.

De la Hoya said: 'Erik has shown Ricky that it can be done. He was away for three years but has returned to have three fights before putting on a beautiful performance against Marcos Maidana.'

Many American commentators believe Morales was robbed of the narrowest of decisions against Maidana, the younger Argentine puncher who came close to knocking out Khan before losing their 2010 fight of the year.

Hatton has been inactive for just under two years, since being brutally concussed by Pacquiao. He has vacillated about retirement - admitting that his new found involvement as a promoter has been his only partial escape from post-boxing depression - and has kept insisting that he will re-apply for his fighter's licence when the time is right.

That door opened yesterday. Robert Smith, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, said: 'Ricky simply needs to submit his application in the normal way - to his local area council who will pass it on to the full board - and then satisfy all the usual medical requirements.

'I can't foresee there being a problem, since he has served his time.'

Golden Boy officials opened discussions with Hatton before Christmas and now Gareth Williams, The Hitman's legal adviser and an executive of Hatton Promotions, says: 'We have received the firm offer at the meeting with Oscar. Now it's up to Ricky.'

Hatton is discussing the proposal with his father Ray, who is also his manager, and girlfriend Jennifer. Given estimates that it will take Hatton six months to regain full fighting fitness, Golden Boy are viewing an October date against Morales.

Alternatively, he could take an easier warm-up fight in Manchester - an emotional comeback which would fill his beloved City's Eastlands football ground - followed by the big one in Vegas.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Maidana beats Morales in dramatic bout -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

LAS VEGAS -- When a fight between Erik Morales and lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez wound up not being finalized because Marquez decided to sit out, waiting for a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao, Morales had an idea.

He and Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez were on the phone going over possible opponents and, one by one, they were either not available or not to Morales' liking.

Finally, Morales told Gomez he had an idea. He wanted to fight "that guy from Argentina, that good puncher. I know how to beat him."

Morales was talking about brawler Marcos Maidana, who had knocked out Victor Ortiz in 2009 in a big upset and pushed junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan to the brink in a decision loss in a fantastic December slugfest that was named the Boxing Writers Association of America fight of the year in 2010.

Gomez thought Morales was crazy. The staff at Golden Boy thought the same. But Morales insisted. He wanted the fight.

Maidana was a willing participant and that is what they did. There were cries in some quarters that it was a slaughter, that Maidana would crush the once-great former three-division champion and Mexican icon.

Morales, after all, retired in 2007 after four consecutive losses. And when he came out of retirement in 2010, he fought three times, won three times, but did not overly impress anyone.

But he sure impressed on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where 7,154 fans (mostly of Morales) watched him turn back the clock -- despite losing a majority decision in a clear fight of the year candidate that lived up to the HBO PPV card's "Action Heroes" billing. (The fight, along with the Robert Guerrero-Michael Katsidis and Nobuhiro Ishida-James Kirkland undercard bouts, will be replayed on HBO Latino at 10 p.m. ET Friday.)

Morales lived up to that old boxing adage that is not always true, but was on this night: Every great champion has one more big performance left in him.

"A lot of people said this was a mismatch and a wipeout, but Morales said he saw something in Maidana and he was right even though he didn't get the decision," Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said. "It was a great fight."

The drama began immediately because Morales had to fight virtually the entire bout with a badly swollen right eye, which blew up after getting nailed with an uppercut in the opening minute of combat.

But Morales, a former champion at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight, has always been a warrior.

He was undeterred.

"I fought with my heart and with Mexico," Morales said.

"This was my toughest fight ever," Maidana said. "But I knew it would be, so I prepared for that."

There was outstanding action throughout the bout. There was great ebb and flow. Maidana won the early rounds, but Morales got into a rhythm as the fight wore on. He opened up big-time in the fifth round, when he got Maidana in serious trouble along the ropes as he snapped his head back.

As they traded fierce shots, the crowd was on its feet and chanting "Mexico! Mexico! Mexico" as Morales (51-7, 35 KOs) peppered Maidana (30-2, 27 KOs) with hard right hands. He also hurt Maidana with an uppercut at the end of the sixth round and had him in trouble again.

If you did not know it was 2011, you could swear you were watching the Morales of old, the one who waged a sensational trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao -- whose last loss was to Morales in 2005.

"He turned back the clock and he showed what he still has," Schaefer said. "He went toe-to-toe with one of the hardest punchers in the sport. We saw the old Erik Morales tonight, no question about it."

The upset seemed to be brewing and the crowd seemed to be able to sense it. Morales wobbled Maidana in the eighth round, but Maidana, despite breathing heavily, continued to press forward as he closed out the fight winning the final two rounds on all three official scorecards, which read 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114. ESPN.com also had it 114-114.

The crowd was not happy with the decision, raining boos down, but Maidana, who earned $500,000, was overjoyed as he picked up a vacant interim junior welterweight title for the second time in his career.

"I wanted a strong fight, but I trained to fight," Maidana said.



"Morales is a good, strong fighter. He should continue to fight. The fight was close, but I came out strong at the end. He had a lot of technique."

Morales, who made $250,000 in base purse but will make more from Mexican television revenue and a percentage of the American pay-per-view profits, did not sound like a fighter headed back to retirement after such a spirited performance.

"I'm gonna do what the people want me to do -- a rematch," Morales said.

Maidana, standing next to him in the ring, was open to the idea.

"I'll give you a rematch," he said. "Any time. Tomorrow."

But Maidana also said he wanted a fight with Marquez, who put the kibosh on his trainer, Nacho Beristain, training Maidana. That forced Maidana to find a new trainer in Rudy Perez, another of Mexico's top cornermen, just as he was supposed to open training camp in Mexico.

Morales thought he should have won.

"I'm a good fighter from Tijuana," he boasted. "I think it was a close fight, but to give him a clean win is ridiculous. What did you see? I think I won the fight. My punches were crisper and they were better. I threw better punches."

So what the heck did Morales see that made him want to fight Maidana?

"I still have speed and velocity and, more importantly, dignity and heart," he said of his decision. "I thought I was better than him."

It could have gone either way.

"Some have Morales winning, some have Maidana," Schaefer said. "But it was definitely a fight of the year candidate. The people who saw this were treated to something special."

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Minus Manny Paquiao III, Juan Manuel Marquez Considers Options -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez may have lost out on a third bout with eight-division king, Manny Pacquiao, but the 37-year-old, three-division champion still has plenty of options, according to Golden Boy Promotions head matchmaker, Eric Gomez.

"We'll be getting together some time this month with Marquez. We'll go over numbers and go over the opponents," said Gomez on Monday.

"Marquez has expressed some interest in going up to 140 and perhaps maybe fighting Amir Khan," said Gomez. "Amir Khan is of interest, and we have tried making that fight before. So there is some interest."

In facing the 24-year-old Khan (24-1, 17 knockouts), Marquez (51-5-1, 38 knockouts) would be pursuing the WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) king and an opportunity to become the first Mexican fighter to earn a fourth crown over as many weight classes.

But Khan already is being considered for an HBO televised, April 16 date in his native England, potentially against Lamont Peterson (28-1-1, 14 KOs), of Washington, D.C., who is coming off of a Dec. 11 draw with southpaw Victor Ortiz (28-2-2, 22 KOs) that was on the under card of Khan's unanimous decision win over Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs).

"We are looking at that [Khan] and working on that as well, and the date is set on his return for April 16. We are going to be working on the financial situation and the opponent and so on," said Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer.

"But the Khan fight will definitely be in the United Kingdom," said Schaefer. "There are different names that are being discussed, and one of the names which has been discussed is Lamont Peterson."

So in what is the most likely of scenarios, Gomez and Schaefer said that Marquez could be matched against 34-year-old Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) in a clash of Mexican, three-division titlists likely on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"We are going to see if we can get that fight done," said Schaefer of Marquez-Morales. "That's one of the fights that we will be working on in the next couple of days and weeks."

In November, Marquez rose from a third-round knockdown to stop WBO interim king, Michael Katsidis (27-3, 22 KOs), in the ninth.

Marquez has twice battled a disputed draw, and, a disputed, split-decision loss, respectively, against Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), despite rising from a combined total of four knockdowns.

Marquez had been considered as an opponent for Pacquiao until last month, when FanHouse first reported that Pacquiao had chosen to make a defense of his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) belt against three-division, five-time champion Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao is coming off of a Nov. 13 unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito that earned him the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.

"We're going to present to Marquez different opportunities and different fights and different ideas. It's very preliminary right now, but, yes, Morales is being considered," said Gomez.

"But Morales is a consideration along with one of three or four guys who are being considered," said Gomez. "So we would have to sit down with Juan Manuel Marquez because he's the champ and he's our guy and we'll let him decide for himself what he wants to do."

In March of 2005, Morales scored a unanimous decision over Pacquiao, who has since gone 13-0, with eight knockouts -- including stoppages of Morales in the 10th, and, third rounds, respectively.

A winner of three straight fights, Morales is coming off of December's unanimous decision victory over Dominican-born Francisco Lorenzo , of Irvington, N.J., for the WBC's silver light welterweight title at Caliente Racetrack, in Tijuana, Baja, California, Mex.

Prior to Lorenzo, Morales earned September's welterweight, sixth-round knockout of Scottland's Willie Limond that was fought at a catch weight of 143 pounds.

Limond was the second straight win for Morales, who, in March, earned a 12-round, unanimous decision over Jose "Jicaras" Alfaro (23-6, 20 KOs) in Monterrey, Nuevo, Leon, Mex.

Alfaro ended a 31-month absence from the ring for Morales and a four-match losing streak that was part of five losses in his previous six fights. Morales-Alfaro was the Mexican's for fight since 2007, when he lost a decision to David Diaz for the WBC lightweight crown.

Morales is most known for losing two of three bouts in his trilogy with Mexico City's 36-year-old, five-time, three-division champion, Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7, 43 KOs). Barrera-Morales was the Mexican equivalent of Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier.

Marquez owns a July of 2007, unanimous decision victory over Barrera, but never has faced Morales.

"We feel that Marquez-Morales would be a big seller in the Mexican community, and it's a fight that the Mexican community has always wanted but it was never done," said Gomez. "Marquez wants to fight in Las Vegas, so there is a good possibility that it will be in Las Vegas either in March or April around there."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Barrera banking on one final title push -- San Antonio Express

By John Whisler, San Antonio Express

Marco Antonio Barrera is no longer baby-faced, and he's hardly the boxing assassin he once was.

But Barrera has a new promoter, and he's on a mission: He wants to become the first Mexican fighter to win titles in four different weight divisions.

“That is why I'm still fighting,” the former six-time world champion said Wednesday. “I want to make history.”

To do it, he'll have to get past his next opponent, Adailton De Jesus of Brazil. The two are scheduled to meet in a 10-round bout on the “Latin Fury 15” card June 26 at the Alamodome.

Barrera should have little trouble against an unknown foe. But another world title? It might be out of reach at this stage of his career.

A Mexico City native, Barrera turned pro at age 15 and began knocking out opponents at an astonishing rate. Hence the nickname, the “Baby-Faced Assassin.”

But as the years have piled up, so have the rounds and the ring miles against some of the sport's biggest names: Johnny Tapia, Prince Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales (three times), Manny Pacquiao (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez.

At age 36, he's 65-7 with 43 knockouts but has lost three of his past five fights.

Looking more like a businessman than a prizefighter as he sat at a table at the Alamodome after the news conference promoting the upcoming June 26 card, Barrera dismissed the notion that he's washed up.

“This is not the first time I've been written off,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “But I've fought the best of the best. And I live a healthy lifestyle. I'm very fit physically and mentally.”

Barrera was written off after losing to Junior Jones back-to-back in 1996 and '97, and after he lost to Pacquiao in 2003 at the Alamodome.

But he came back to win more titles and add to his legacy as one of Mexico's greatest fighters.

Top Rank, an unlikely alliance considering their bitter feuds over the years, is now promoting Barrera. Top Rank represented archrival Morales during all three of his epic battles with Barrera.

But Barrera is hoping the promoter is his ticket back to the top.

“I'm thankful for the opportunity,” Barrera said. “I want to prove to them I can win another world title.”

Goal intact: Barrera's quest to win titles in four weight divisions is still alive, now that fellow countryman Jorge Arce is off the June 26 card.

Arce was hoping to accomplish the feat in his interim WBO bantamweight title bout against Eric Morel on the card but was forced to withdraw after suffering a cut during sparring.

Card changes: While promoters have indicated that Arce-Morel won't be replaced, it apparently did create an opening. San Antonio's Emanuel Ledezma (8-1-1, 2 KOs) officially was added to the undercard this past week.

Now training under “Jesse” James Leija, Ledezma is scheduled to take on Nelson Ramos (4-0, 2 KOs) of Houston in a super middleweight bout.

Majestic night: Bellator Fighting Championships drew mixed reviews for its San Antonio debut.

The bouts were generally entertaining and provided a stark contrast to the grandeur of the Majestic Theatre.

But the crowd of about 1,000 was disappointing. Official capacity at the Majestic is 2,311.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said it's all about developing a fan base.

“You've got to be willing to come into a city, put down some roots and build the brand,” he said, adding that he hoped to bring Bellator back for another show in the future.

jwhisler@express-news.net

Source: mysanantonio.com

Erik Morales wants Pinoy as next foe -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

TOKYO — Erik Morales is in the hunt for a Filipino foe.

Morales, who figured in a thrilling trilogy with Manny Pacquiao, will return to the ring either July 17 or 24 in Cancun, Mexico, according to his co-promoter Nacho Huizar.

Morales and Huizar joined hands recently when “El Terrible” made a successful comeback after a two-and-a-half year layoff with a 12-round decision over Nicaraguan Jose Alfaro in Monterrey, Mexico.

Huizar has spoken with Filipino boxing promoter Wakee Salud, who gave the name of Eusebio Baluarte as a potential opponent for Morales.

Baluarte, 22, is the Philippines’ super-lightweight champion and a holder of a 15-2 win-loss record with nine knockouts.

Salud said he will confer with Baluarte’s chief handler, Leonel Lazarito, as soon as he gets back to Manila.

Salud is here to watch the World Boxing Council super-bantam title match between Filipino challenger Balweg Bangoyan and Japanese champion Toshiaki Nishioka.

“I will talk to Morales about this proposal,” said Huizar, stressing that Morales, 33, will have the final say.

The heavy-handed Baluarte hails from Valencia, Bukidnon.

Morales beat Pacquiao in their first fight in March 2005 but Pacquiao exacted payback in January 2006 then showed his mastery over the Mexican in November of the same year.

Source: mb.com.ph

Chavez Jr. is Roach's Latest Wild Card -- SecondsOut

By Steve Kim, SecondsOut.com

It was made official on Tuesday afternoon at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles that renowned trainer Freddie Roach would take over the training duties for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who faces John Duddy in San Antonio, Texas, on June 26th as the headliner on “Latin Fury 15.” Chavez Jr. will report to the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood on Saturday for his first official day under the watchful eye of Roach.

It’s no secret that Junior’s work ethic has never been described as “Spartan,” but he says that this move represents a new chapter in his career.

"I came here very willing to do whatever I need to do, whatever they ask me to do; that’s what I have to do. Work," said Chavez, through Top Rank publicist Ricardo Jimenez. His own promoter, Bob Arum, has labeled him “lazy,” to which Junior responded, "I always believed I needed a real leader to help me out. I haven’t had that in my camp. I know I have that now."

Roach has a star-studded roster, from Manny Pacquiao on down and the Wild Card is the home to a multitude of world-class prizefighters. And it’s a highly competitive atmosphere, where the weak will not survive. Here, Chavez Jr. isn’t the son of boxing royalty; as of now, he’s just another relatively unproven fighter. He’s basically Vanes Martirosyan with a better boxer lineage.

"We think Chavez is enormously talented and we have to get somebody to bring out that talent and discipline. And there’s nobody better than Freddie," stated Arum, who took Chavez to the Wild Card a couple of months ago. He admits to being distressed over Chavez’s rather desultory dedication to the sport. "Sure, of course, all of us [are]."

The crime isn’t that Junior is not the equal of his father (very few ever will be at the level of the great “JC Superstar”); it’s that he’s not even reaching his own ceiling as a fighter, which has seemingly turned off more than a few Mexican fans. But perhaps, he will never have the desire of the original Julio Cesar Chavez. After all, he was a child of privilege, one that was born with a silver mouthpiece. How could he have ever had the hunger and drive of his father growing up?

As former major league pitcher Dean Chance (now, incidentally, president of fringe alphabet organization, the IBA) once famously noted, "He was born on third base, but he thinks he hit a triple." At times, that would apply to Chavez.

Arum admits, "Chavez comes from a wealthy family. Marvin Hagler, one of my great fighters, said rich guys who sleep in silk pajamas don’t like to get up in the morning and do roadwork." And judging by the softness in his body in his most recent fights, he looks like a guy who hasn’t been hitting the pavement in the early hours. Last year, the physical conditioners from Velocity- best known for working with Miguel Cotto- were summoned to Big Bear to work with Junior, only to be jettisoned from the mountain a few weeks later. The reason?

It seemed as though they were working Junior just a bit too hard for his liking.

You just wonder; is Chavez boxing because he wants to or because he’s expected to? At times, he does remind one of that trust-fund baby incapable of holding any real responsibility in the real world, yet, will always be bailed out because of who he is. In other sports, it’s not unusual to see kids who come from wealth follow in the footsteps of their fathers. But in boxing, is it even possible?

As you ask this question to Roach, he takes a long pause before saying," I would say mostly no. But the thing is, in some cases, they have the genes of a fighter. Like the Mayweathers and so forth, Floyd Jr. wasn’t brought up as hard as Roger and Floyd Sr. were. He had a little more comfortable of a life because of the success of his uncle, of course. So it’s not impossible, but it’s unusual."

But there’s a key difference here; Floyd Jr., for all his bombast, has an obvious thirst and drive for the sport, along with incredible, natural, God-given ability. Chavez isn’t a bad fighter; he has a pretty good offensive skill set and a good beard. But that’s offset by shoddy conditioning, which has limited his effectiveness in certain fights.

But what happens the first few days when he is pushed to the brink in the gym, when it’s no longer his call on when to call it quits? And can his body take the ballistic training of Roach’s strength-and-training guru, Alex Ariza, in the early mornings? This will be a bit of culture shock for Chavez.

Roach says simply, "[If] he doesn’t work hard, he’ll probably go home." The trainer says he won’t even have to send him on his way. "I’ll give him an opportunity to show me he’s willing to change and work. And I’m going to push him, push him, push him and if he doesn’t respond, he’ll go home on his own. I hear he’s that type of person. But the thing is, if he does have a work ethic, I’ll sit down and talk with him. I’ll give him a chance. But he’s going to get one chance and that’s it."

Roach’s bottom line is simple, "I don’t have time; I have a lot of good fighters that want to work, so I don’t have time to be baby-sitting anybody."

Chavez should have some inkling of what to expect as he dropped by the Wild Card to see Pacquiao perform his daily duties with Roach, before “Pac-Man” faced Joshua Clottey in March. "When he [Chavez] saw Manny work out, he said we were a little crazy. But he saw how I work my fighters and how I push them and so forth. So I’m hoping he sees that as a challenge to him."

The days of being surrounded by yes-men are over, for now. The young man is no longer the boss of his own training.

"It was my camp," Chavez admitted. "I told them what I wanted to do. It was my family and it’s not the same when it’s your family. You tell them what to do; they’re not going to tell me no."

He says later, "It’s a great opportunity for me. You see what he’s done with fighters; he makes them better than they are. I’m hoping he’ll do that for me. He’ll make me work and I can become the best that I can become."

ENABLING

As is usually the case with Chavez Jr., or any fighter handled by Fernando Beltran, the fighter was once again tardy to the press conference on Tuesday, which had Arum a bit antsy. This after the Monday afternoon presser in San Antonio was scrapped because Chavez had some immigration issues.

"We flew down; we got picked up at the airport. We were told then that he wasn’t coming and that there wouldn’t be a press conference," said a rather annoyed Craig Hamilton, who manages Duddy. "So John and I went over and visited the Alamo."

Again, Chavez gets away with it, because he’s allowed to. Meanwhile, everyone else who was scheduled to be there showed up dutifully.

"It’s a ton of disrespect; I mean, look, it’s disrespect to John, yes, but this is particularly disrespectful to Top Rank," Hamilton pointed out. "When you take a fight like this, for example, John has a contract; he’s going to get paid either way. But we want the promoter to succeed. So you go to press conferences, we cross the country. In two days, we traveled to San Antonio, to Los Angeles, back to New York. We’re trying to help the promotion. It’s disrespectful to the press people who plan a day, the Mexican fans- he has a ton of them. It’s disrespectful to them. So yeah, it’s disrespectful and it’s not excusable. You know if you had a visa problem two days ago, you had one a month ago.

"So I don’t listen to that. I manage a fighter; you take care of the business. That’s what your job is. My job is to make sure if he has a visa problem- Duddy’s not a naturalized citizen- there’s any issue, we got it taken care of well ahead of when you have to," continued Hamilton.

As the press conference finally began (about a half-hour late), Arum announced that Chavez would be meeting with immigration attorney Frank Ronzio (who once managed David Kamau) to work out all his issues after he met with the media. He said he advised his fighter to stay out of Arizona for the time being.

I think he was being serious.

TOP BARRERA

Marco Antonio Barrera, who waged a legendary trilogy with Erik Morales (long a Top Rank stalwart) is on “Latin Fury 15’.” Seeing Barrera on a Top Rank show is like seeing Derek Jeter in a Boston Red Sox uniform.

"Barrera’s always been the enemy. He’s always been on the opposite side. I may still root for the other guy," Arum joked.

Barrera, according to the veteran promoter, signed a five-fight deal with Beltran (who once co-promoted “El Terrible” with Top Rank).

OK, don’t want to give Arum any ideas, but is there any possibility of Barrera-Morales IV?

"Morales called me yesterday at the office to say, ’I hear Bob’s been looking for me.’ Which I wasn’t. But he left a number for me to call."

Uh-oh.

LATIN FURY FLURRIES

This show will take place at the Alamodome, which has a rich boxing history. Pernell Whitaker faced Chavez here in September of 1993, in front of over 60,000 fans. Oscar De La Hoya knocked out Kamau several years later and Pacquiao knocked out Barrera here in 2003...Also on this card is a bout between bantamweights Eric Morel and Jorge Arce and featherweight Salvador Sanchez III...Adailton De Jesus is slated to take on Barrera...This pay-per-view is priced at $39.95...Say what you will, but the recently retired John Ruiz had himself a pretty good career. He certainly got the most out of his ability...Is there any question that LeBron James is the best player in the NBA, and might be so for another decade?...Although Kevin Durant will have something to say about that...Any questions or comments can be directed to k9kim@yahoo.com and you can follow me at www.twitter.com. You can now become a Facebook fan of Maxboxing at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing

Source: secondsout.com

Marco Antonio Barrera To Return On June 26th Duddy-Chavez Jr Card? -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

When he was last seen in a ring, Mexican legend and former multi-weight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera was being out-pointed by the much faster Amir Khan, on the way to an eventual TD loss that came about due to a nasty cut Barrera picked up due to a butt that was ruled accidental. Afterwards, the then 35-year-old all-time great insisted that Khan never hurt him with any of his punches, and later still Marco's promoter Don King tried to get the decision overturned..

It was not to be, however, and Barrera, who slipped to 65-7(43) disappeared for over a year. Now, according to Box Rec, "The Baby Faced Assassin" will return to action on June 26th; when he will fight an as yet unknown foe on the Julio Cesar Chavez Junior-John Duddy bill in San Antonio, Texas. It's not clear which weight class Barrera will box in, how many rounds his comeback bout will be set for, or whether or not his opponent will be of the world class variety.

Prior to his upset loss to Khan in March of last year, Barrera had won two fights on the spin against limited opposition; these wins having followed his back-to-back points losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao in 2007. Unless we're in for a real surprise, Barrera will almost certainly face a "so-so" type fighter in June.

The Khan fight showed us that Barrera can no longer handle speed, and it also showed us that he is even easier to hit these days (he was never all that tough to nail, even in his prime). The TD loss also showed that Barrera, if matched right, could perhaps still win a biggish fight or two. Certainly, though he was only able to really tag the elusive Khan with one good shot to the head in the entire 5-rounds, Barrera did not look like the typical "shot" fighter.

That fight was at lightweight, although Barrera's two wins before the loss to Khan took place at or around the light-welterweight mark. Who knows what weight the one-time bantamweight will come in at on June 26th. One thing that does spring to mind upon reading about Barrera's in-the-works return, though, is the possibility that he may soon be hooking up with one-time fierce rival Erik Morales. As fans know, "El Terrible," three years younger than Barrera, made his own successful ring return, up at full welterweight, back in March. Morales, 49-6(34) is set to try to follow up his points win over the useful Jose Alfaro with another winning fight, again in Mexico, on July 24th (thus far a TBA). Could we, then, soon be seeing a Barrera-Morales IV?

When last seen together, the two one-time heated rivals were all smiles as they posed for photos. Still, though the hatred they once had for one another has faded, it doesn't mean they won't fight again; especially if big money were offered. But would a fourth fight between the two legends generate big money? And at what weight would the two ageing warriors fight at?

We'll have to see how Barrera does on June 26th (and Morales on July 24th) before we can tell if there is any serious chance of the two "doing it again," but would you be shocked if they did fight for a fourth time?

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Golden Boy Promotions Offer Ricky Hatton Two Fights; Morales And Then Marquez - But Will Hatton Take Them? -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

It seems the people at Golden Boy Promotions do not want mega-star Ricky Hatton to walk away from the sport; not yet anyway. Though the 31-year-old - who has not fought since his crushing 2nd-round defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in May of last year - has yet to make up his mind officially, there have been rumours for weeks now that a retirement announcement is imminent..

And maybe Hatton is content to walk away from the sport, and will hold a press conference to say as much when the time suits him. However, Oscar De la Hoya's promotional outfit has, The Manchester Evening News reports, offered Hatton two final fights. Fight one, if taken, will see Hatton face Mexican legend Erik Morales in Las Vegas on July 10th, on the same bill as the Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz rematch. Then, if both Hatton and Marquez win, Golden Boy would love to see the two square off in Manchester some time at the end of the year in what would be the former 140-pound king's "farewell" fight.

Fans know how the idea of a Hatton-Marquez fight has been floating around for a number of months now, and Marquez is reportedly very up for the fight. But now the ball is very much in Ricky's court, and it will be his decision and his decision alone as to whether or not he will fight either Morales or Marquez, or both.

And let's face it, as faded as Hatton undoubtedly is (and Morales as well come to that), both the match-ups that Golden Boy are offering Hatton would prove to be big attractions should they go ahead. Maybe the very idea of a Hatton Vs. Morales will send shivers down the spines of the boxing purists, but the fact remains that in this day and age, with many, even more "bizarre" match-ups taking place, this possibility of a welterweight fight is tame by comparison.

And at least neither Hatton nor Morales would be being matched against some young tiger. Rest assured, this fight, if Hatton surprises us and takes it, will prove to be a big hit at the box office. And if Hatton were to win, well, the Marquez fight would be a great way for him to go out. I'd be willing to bet that right now, Hatton is feeling seriously tempted to take Golden Boy's two-fight offer.

A natural warrior by heart, "The Hitman," despite his current out of shape condition, will, in my opinion, have felt that "itch" when he heard the offer for the first time. Then again, there have been stories that have surfaced that tell us how Ricky tried to fight himself back into shape, but was simply unable. And of course, if Hatton has lost his fire and ability to train properly, he will make the right decision in politely declining the Golden Boy offer.

Time will tell.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Ricky Hatton set to spurn Erik Morales fight -- The Guardian

By Kevin Mitchell, Guardian.co.uk

Ricky Hatton, once the king of Las Vegas, has been offered a comeback fight against the faded Erik Morales on the undercard of a Golden Boy Promotions show in Las Vegas on 10 July. He is expected to reject the opportunity.

Juan Manuel Márquez fights Juan Díaz for two versions of the world lightweight title that night and, if he wins, is then being offered up for Hatton as the Mancunian's farewell opponent in Manchester later in the year.

Hatton, who has worked with Golden Boy (GBP) several times, will turn down the deal, according to the Manchester Evening News, for whom he writes a column.

He spoke with Robert Diaz last week when the GBP negotiator came to Manchester for David Haye's successful world heavyweight title defence against John Ruiz.

Golden Boy originally wanted Hatton to fight Márquez, who lost widely on points last year to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Hatton announced in December he was returning to the ring but has subsequently suggested he will not go through with those plans.

Hatton, who has ballooned in weight since being knocked out in the second round against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last July, has been in the gym intermittently, preparing for a celebrity football match at Old Trafford in June.

Source: guardian.co.uk

What if Erik Morales fought Ricky Hatton next? -- Eastside Boxing

By Geoffrey Ciani, Eastside Boxing

It had been more than two and a half years since we last saw Erik Morales inside the squared circle. Going into his fight against former WBA lightweight champion Jose Alfaro this past Saturday most observers were unsure what to expect. After all, not only had “El Terrible” been out of the ring since losing a disputed decision against David Diaz in August 2007 but he also lost five of his last six fights. Considering he lost just once in his first forty-one contests, it is understandable that most observers felt his best days were behind him. Additionally, he never fought north of the lightweight division and his fight with Alfaro was scheduled to take place at welterweight..

All things considered, Morales looked surprisingly good and proved he still has something left to offer. His body frame may have looked a bit thicker and softer than we are accustomed to seeing but Morales was still able to exhibit a solid skill set and warrior mentality. Through the first half of the contest Morales was clearly in control and showed little in terms of ring rust. At times, he even showed brief glimpses of brilliance which were reminiscent of the “El Terrible” of old. Down the stretch, however, Morales seemed winded at times and it was obvious he still needs some work on his conditioning if he intends to resume fighting at an elite level. In rounds nine through eleven, Morales was getting caught flush more and more frequently as his offensive volume dwindled. In the twelfth round, he came on strong and showed the championship heart fans have long admired. At the end of the night, he was awarded a unanimous decision victory with scores reading 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112.

The question becomes, where does Erik Morales go from here?

When Morales appeared on a recent edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio prior to his fight with Alfaro, Jenna J (the show’s radiant Hostess) asked “El Terrible” about his future plans if he was successful against Alfaro. Morales explained that he wanted the fans to evaluate his performance after the fight and make suggestions about who he should face next. We discussed these possibilities on the latest edition of On the Ropes and we all agreed that ideally, Morales is not best suited for the welterweight division. There are, however, a slew of potential opportunities available for him in the talented rich 140 pound weight class. With guys like Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Nate Campbell, Amir Khan, Paulie Malignaggi, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marcos Maidana, and Victor Ortiz currently campaigning in that weight class, there are many possible directions for “El Terrible” to turn.

An obvious choice for Morales would be a showdown against fellow Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, and Marco Antonio Barrera represent a fine quartet of pugilists, all of whom competed in a similar weight range during the same period. Out of all the possible match ups that could be made from this fearsome foursome, the only pairing that never happened is between Morales and Marquez. They are both Mexican fighters, they are both future Hall of Famers, and both are on the downside of their respective careers. A fight between Morales and Marquez at junior welterweight seems like a logical path to pursue for “El Terrible” and would be good for Marquez, too.

Jenna J brought up another interesting possibility on today’s show—one that I had previously not heard any mention of—the possibility of Erik Morales facing former 140 pound champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton. In some ways, this fight actually makes a lot of sense. Like Morales, Hatton has been inactive for a long duration. In fact, we have not seen him inside the ring since he was blasted away in two rounds by Manny Pacquiao. Furthermore, like Morales, Hatton’s weight has far exceeded his best fighting weight during his time off. This could help provide for a somewhat level playing field. Beyond that, each fighter is looking for a way to help rejuvenate and reignite his career. A win for either fighter against the other would surely go a long way towards doing this and a fight between the two would be sure to generate a lot of buzz amongst boxing fans.

On one hand, Hatton might represent a more difficult fight for Morales because Hatton is naturally bigger and stronger. He hits hard and has spent the majority of his career competing at 140 pounds. On the other hand it is equally possible that Marquez represents the tougher challenge because despite being older, he has more left in the tank. After all, before being dominated by Floyd Mayweather (in a match Marquez had no business fighting in the first place) he was widely regarded as the number two pound for pound fighter in the world.

Whatever Morales chooses as his next big move, whether it be a fight with Hatton, Marquez, or someone else entirely—it is probably best advised if he takes another fight or two to help improve his conditioning.

Who do you think Morales should fight next? Please share your comments here or you can call in to the next edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio and share your thoughts on the air with Jenna and me.

***

To learn more about On the Ropes Boxing Radio please visit our official website:
http://www.ontheropesboxingradio.com


To contact Ciani or Jenna J:
ontheropes@eastsideboxing.com


To read more by Ciani or Jenna please visit The Mushroom Mag:
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Erik Morales Defeats Jose Alfaro: But How Far Can The Comeback Go? -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

In the days leading up to last night's return bout, Mexican legend Erik Morales vowed he would quit the ring for good if he could not defeat Jose Alfaro. Well, in coming back after a two-and-a-half year layoff, "El Terrible" proved he has at least something left at age 33. Winning a hard-fought, exciting battle with the former WBA lightweight champion, the former three-weight titlist prevailed by a UD: the scores were 117-111, 116-112,116-112..

Morales, who weighed-in at around 148-pounds for his return, is now 49-6(34). 26-year-old Alfaro of Nicaragua, who had also promised a win and fought hard trying to get one, is now 23-6(20).

No-one really knew what to expect going into last night's WBC intercontinental welterweight bout held in Monterrey, Mexico. Many felt Morales - who complained after his last fight back in 2007, against David Diaz, that he had pains in his head due to the punches he'd taken in the lightweight points loss - was running the risk of being badly hurt or embarrassed by returning to the ring.

This was not the case last night (although the win was a far from easy one for Morales, and at times the action was quite brutal, with both men trading furiously) and Morales proved he still has some fire in his belly. But what does the future hold? No doubt, having successfully cleared the hurdle of his initial comeback bout, Morales will fight again pretty soon. But though the beloved warrior, who looked a little "chubby" as a welterweight, showed he has enough left to remind his fans of the incredible ability he once had, his talk of meeting Manny Pacquiao in a fourth fight still disturbs.

Beating the smaller Alfaro is one thing (but, to be fair, some people did tip the younger man to get the win last night), but how will Morales cope with an elite welterweight or light-welterweight? Craving his place in the history books, and feeling he can get it by becoming the first Mexican boxer to win world titles at four different weights, Morales will possibly have one more fight against a good opponent, before going for a title.

As popular as he is, Morales is likely to get his chance; but who against? "El Terrible" also spoke of a fight with countryman (and WBO lightweight champ) Juan Manuel Marquez. But Morales looks to have a hard time ahead of him if he's to make 135-pounds, and Marquez looks set to face Juan Diaz in a return of their great fight next in any case.

On the whole, Morales deserves credit for last night's fan-friendly victory (has this guy ever been in a bad fight!) but the fears his admirers felt when his return was first announced are still there.

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Morales went out a HERO.. but he comes back a FOOL -- Mirror

By Barry Mcguigan, Mirror.co.uk

Erik Morales stands third in my all-time list of Mexican fighters behind Julio Cesar Chavez and Marco Antonio Barrera. That is how highly I rate him.

His first fight with Barrera is in my top 10 bouts of all time, an unbelievable meeting of fire and brimstone inside the ropes.

Morales is the last man to beat Manny Pacquiao five years ago but then he went on the slide, losing the next four fights before retiring.

There is no doubt that hanging up the gloves two and a half years ago was the right thing to do.

Tonight in Monterrey, El Terrible is returning to the ring aged 34 against a Nicaraguan journeyman called Jose Alfaro.

What is going on? There is no worse sight in sport than a shot fighter yearning for the past, a shadow of his former self.

In my 15 years as president of the Professional Boxers Association this was the biggest problem I had to address.

Next week Roy Jones Jnr takes on Bernard Hopkins 17 years after their first meeting. Jones reckons he will knock out Hopkins. It would be laughable if it were not so serious.

Morales conceded on retirement that he had taken too many punches to warrant extending his career. What has happened since then to change his mind?

Those punches have not gone away. He is no less susceptible to the dangers of long-term, slowonset impairment. He says he is targeting a fourth fight with Pacquiao. He must be dreaming. Pacquaio himself is hinting at retirement, doubtless to smoke out Floyd Mayweather.

But he won't hang around to beat up an old pug who cannot adhere to basic referee's instructions - defend yourself at all times.

The best outcome tonight would be a resounding victory for Alfaro. Sadly, that is unlikely given his pedigree.

It is a bad end to a sad week. My phone has been ringing off the hook with people wanting to discuss the passing of Harry Carpenter. Harry had been out of the limelight for 16 years, yet people remember him as if it were yesterday.

He went out at the top is no of his game and died in his sleep, aged 84. I would sign for that right now.

I recall Harry saying how he thought I had done the right thing when I retired. He was pleased I got out in good shape.

Morales is walking a tightrope that leads only one way - to misery and failure.

I prefer to remember him at his peak, standing toe to toe with Barrera going flat out to the finish. I have rarely seen such raw power and ferocity reciprocated so skilfully. They went through the full canon of boxing skills.

Morales not only hit like a mule, he could take a punch too.

He went out a hero and comes back a fool. Boxing is a young man's game.

Source: mirror.co.uk

Erik Morales: “Technically I have always known that I am better than Manny Pacquiao” -- Eastside Boxing

By Geoffrey Ciani, Eastside Boxing

This past week’s edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with three division champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales. “El Terrible” was last seen inside the squared circle when he lost a somewhat controversial decision at the hands of David Diaz back in August 2007. This Saturday night Morales returns to the ring for the first time in a fight against former WBA lightweight champion Jose Alfaro. Here are some excerpts from that interview:

On coming back after nearly a two and a half year layoff:
“Yes, the rest was very good for me because I had a lot of physical fights and now, after two years, I feel well rested so things will turn out different for me.”

Regarding his thoughts on coming back:
“For me it is very important to give all of my heart inside the ring. I’ve always been able to accomplish that because I have always had the public behind me and that’s why I want to invite everyone on the 27th because it’s going to be no exception—it’s also going to be a great, great fight..”

Regarding his last fight where he suffered a disputed loss against David Diaz:
“The fight with David Diaz I did not lose. I think the judges beat me and psychologically for me it was not good for me in that moment, but now I am ready.”

On the controversial decision he lost in his rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera:

“I felt that in the first fight I was very, very happy because I won the fight. Barrera was very, very sad because he thought he won and they didn’t give it to him. In the second one, I thought for sure I had won that fight. I was celebrating like I had just won and Barrera never ever celebrated because he knew that even though they gave him the victory he could not celebrate. To me the most important thing in each of my fights is that all of the people that came to watch me fight are leaving happy that they saw a great fight leaving the arena. It doesn’t matter if I won or lost because I want those people to be entertained because they paid for those tickets.”

On being the last person to defeat current pound for pound King Manny Pacquiao:
“When I first fought him it was at 130 pounds. The second time he would not give me the chance to fight at 132 pounds and now he is fighting at 147 and I am coming back to fight at 147 also. I’m hoping that at a time not too long from now when the people see I can still do great, great things in the ring, I’m hoping that Manny Pacquiao will give me the chance to show he’s not the best in the world, because what I remember after twelve rounds is Manny Pacquiao crying—and crying and crying and crying because he knew about the beating he had just taken and he knew at that time there was somebody technically better than him. He had to find some way to be at an advantage to try and control me. That’s the way history was written, but here I am—brand new.”

On what he would do differently if he was to have a fourth fight with Pacquiao:
“The first time I fought him I just went right through him. The second time I went through him until the middle part of the fight but then I just ran out of steam and the third time I was just not able to, but now—I really value my condition more than ever before and so therefore now, I feel that I will show him I am much better than him. Technically I have always known that I am better than Manny Pacquiao, but now physically—that technicality and that skill and conditioning are all one and the same.”

Regarding his plan to compete in the welterweight division:
“I feel I can fight at welterweight easily. I can fight Pacquiao, I can fight (Juan Manuel) Marquez who has already fought at 147, and I can fight (Miguel) Cotto. I can fight any of those guys easily at 147 pounds. I feel very, very confident there.”

His views on Juan Manuel Marquez as a fighter:
“I’ve talked to Golden Boy about the possibility of fighting Juan Manuel Marquez. I think he’s a complete fighter, he’s an excellent fighter, but by the same token—there’s been Barrera and me, there’s been Pacquiao and me, there’s been all of those people with me but the one name missing is Juan Manuel Marquez. I am looking forward for the chance to fight Marquez.”

On whether he was disappointed he never got the opportunity to face Prince Naseem Hamed:
“Not at all. I’ve created my own legacy with the great fighters that I have fought so I never really needed Naseem Hamed and after he lost to Barrera he just disappeared.”

Regarding the story behind how he first started using the “El Terrible” moniker:
“Let it be told, that nickname was not given to me as a fighter but it was because I was so mischievous out in the street and it was actually given to me in the street.”

On Manny Pacquiao’s recent run of success in the higher weight classes:
“First of all, I respect all the hard work that Manny Pacquiao has put in with scaling the different weight divisions and showing tremendous dominance. For my particular taste, those fights were not a pleasure because they seemed way too easy and it defies logic how easily Pacquiao was able to win all of those fights.”

On whether he thinks rumors circulating about Pacquiao taking any illegal substances have any basis in truth:
“ I’m not really there so I don’t really know. I guess a lot of times when you don’t fear anything you’re willing to take anything or any of that stuff, but the bottom line is I don’t really know anything about that stuff so it’s not really for me to go ahead and decide.”

On what he considers to be his most complete performance:
“Obviously, winning my first title. I’ve had so many great moments. Winning my first title was one of them. The second being when I fought and unified the titles against Barrera, and of course, when I fought Pacquiao because everybody thought he was the best 130 pound fighter in the world and so therefore going in there, and also winning my third world title. They have all been great moments for me.”

On being a part of the famous trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera:
“Basically we both had a warrior mentality where we both came in and gave it everything we had. That was the thing that united us in the ring—the will and the warrior mentality to give it everything that we had.”

Regarding whether or not he received any added satisfaction in his win over Junior Jones because Jones twice bested Barrera:

“Obviously, there have been two opponents that have been very, very important in my career. One of them of course as you just mentioned, was Junior Jones who had beaten 32 Mexicans before he got to me and so to go ahead and put a beating on him and beat him, that was a tremendous pleasure. Then after that it was Manny Pacquiao. Being the first Mexican fighter to ever beat Manny Pacquiao, that was a tremendous pleasure and also because of how many other Mexican fighters Pacquiao has beaten. So those have been the two fighters that are so, so important for my career.”

On whether he would ever consider having a fourth fight with Barrera:
“No, not really. I feel that Marco Antonio Barrera is retired and that he is now done with boxing—especially not at 147 pounds, I don’t think Barrera would ever want that.”

Regarding how he would ultimately like to be remembered by boxing fans:
“Like they’ve always known me—as a great, great warrior who gives his heart in the ring.”

On how he feels he will perform in his next fight against Jose Alfaro:
“First of all, I’m quicker than ever. I feel very comfortable at this weight because I feel I can let it all go. I can let it all go in the ring and I’m going up against a guy who was a world champion. He’s a tremendous, tremendous puncher and he’s a very young guy so he’s going to be anxious to make great fight so therefore it’s going to make for a great, great fight—but, I am more than ready for the task. Whatever is in front of me I am more than ready to show the world that I am back.”

Regarding his future plans in the event he beats Alfaro:
“First of all, the number one thing is that when I go in there the people are going to go ahead and rate me. So I am waiting for the people to go ahead and rate me and let them decide who, in fact, they would like to see me fight. So on your radio show or anything like that if you have some suggestions after the fight, let everybody decide what level I am fighting and let everyone voice their opinion and then they can pick who I fight next.”

His official prediction on his upcoming fight with Alfaro:
“We’re going to make a great, great fight—a beautiful fight—but we’re going to win.”

***

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Source: eastsideboxing.com

Erik Morales Returns to Ring Against Jose Alfaro -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Erik Morales' legacy as one of the premiere Mexican fighters is no doubt secure, as is his reputation as one of the best boxers ever to lace on a pair of gloves.

"Morales has sealed a respected reputation in boxing, in my humble opinion, because he's done so much. I believe that he's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer," said Robert Morales, of the Los Angeles Daily News and The Long Beach Press Telegram. "I don't think that there is anything that could stop him from being recognized as one of Mexico's greatest fighters of the past 25 years."

In November and April of 1996, and, 1997, respectively, Junior Jones handed the previously unbeaten Marco Antonio Barrera consecutive losses by fifth-round disqualification, and, unanimous decision.

Two fights later, however, Morales, nicknamed, "El Terrible," stopped Jones in four rounds on the way to running his own unbeaten mark to 35 bouts.

Born in Tijuana, Mex., Morales lost two out of three fights with Mexico City's Barrera, a classic trilogy that reached a legendary status which, for Mexicans, rivals the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Barrera-Morales" is probably the greatest trilogy in boxing history," noted boxing historian, Burt Sugar, said in 2004. "Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier II was a non-fight, and Tony Zale-Rocky Graziano III was a walk-over," said Sugar. "Barrera-Morales is the only trilogy where each of the three fights was as good as the other."

After defeating Morales in their third meeting by majority decision in November, 2004, Barrera extended his hand to Morales, only to get a water bottle thrown at him.

"At one point, Barrera had referred to Morales as an 'Indio,' which means 'Indian,' and for someone from the well-to-do, Southern part of of Mexico like Barrera to say that to a guy from the down-trodden, Northern part of Mexico, Tijuana, like Morales was, that's quite an insult," said Robert Morales, a Mexican-American who is not related to Erik Morales.

"One guy who was born in Mexico but who now lives in the United States told me that 'Indio' was as bad as somebody using the N-word," said Morales. "That's what started the animosity and the real dislike for each other. And ther was no question that by the time these guys got done with their three fights, they just did not like each other."

But following that second loss to Barrera, Morales bounced back by earning a March, 2005, unanimous decision over future seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao.

Since then, however, Pacquiao has gone 12-0, with eight knockouts -- including two stoppages over Morales -- earned Fighter Of The Year honors three straight times, been named Fighter Of The Decade, and agruably become the sport's best fighter, pound-for-pound.

"The two opponents who have defined my career are Junior Jones and Manny Pacquaio. Defeating Jones was important to me because he had stopped something like 32 Mexicans in previous fights," said Morales, who will turn 34 in September. "Defeating Pacquaio is my greatest accomplishment in the ring. I remember seeing him cry after our fight."

But Morales' career took a downward spiral following the victory over Pacquiao, after which, in succession, he was decisioned by Zahir Raheem in September of 2005, stopped in 10, and, three rounds, by Pacquiao, respectively, in January, and, November, of 2006, and, decisioned by David Diaz in August of 2007.

Morales lost, 115-112, 111-113, and, 114-113, to Diaz, who prevented Morales from becoming the first Mexican fighter to win a crown in four divisions.

Morales announced his retirement in the ring following losing to Diaz, which was his fourth straight setback, and the fifth in his last six fights.

"The smaller fighters usually have been in a lot of wars and take a lot of punishment because there are a lot more punches delivered. And his first championship was at super bantamweight [122 pounds,]" said Robert Morales, referring to Morales' September, 1997, 11th-round knockout of Daniel Zaragoza.

"So I don't see any reason for him to come back unless he needs the money or is in a financial hardship," said Morales. "Something like that could tarnish his legacy just a little bit because Morales has nothing left to prove."

But the 33-year-old, former three-division, world champion, is coming back.

For Morales (48-6, 34 knockouts) will end a 31-month ring absence on Saturday night when he takes on 26-year-old Jose "Jicaras" Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs), of Nagarote, Nicaragua, in a 12-round, 142-pound bout in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mex.

Among Morales' goals during the comeback are a fourth-straight match up with Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), as well as a shot at Mexican great, Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs), a WBA lightweight (135 pounds) champion and three-division titlist who has beaten Barrera, lost a disputed decision to Pacquiao and battled Pacquiao to a draw.

"I would love another chance at Pacquaio," said Morales, "and I also look forward to fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in the future."

Morales said that he would like to face Pacquiao at 147 pounds.

"At 147, I'm faster than ever and freer with my body, so I can get the most out of it. First, though, is my fight against Jose Alfaro on March 27th in Monterrey on pay per view," said Morales.

"Alfaro is a great young fighter and a former world champion. He's a wicked puncher who will bring his best," said Morales. "Alfaro has a big heart that he will bring into the ring, and he always gives fans everything he has."

Last seen in the ring on Halloween, however, Alfaro was absorbing a one-sided beating at the hands of Mexican southpaw, Antonio DeMarco, who won virtually every round of their WBC interim lightweight title bout before stopping Alfaro in the 10th.

Alfaro had won three straight fights, two of them by knockout, before facing DeMarco at Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Alfaro was attempting to line himself up for another shot at the WBA crown, which he had won in December of 2007 by split decision over Thailand's Prawet Singwancha.

Alfaro, however, was promptly dethroned by Japan's Yusuke Kobori, who stopped Alfaro in the third round of his first defense in May of 2008.

"I do not mind that Morales is the favorite in this fight. I understand, but I had the best training camp of my life, in my country, and I'm going to win," said Alfaro. "My youth and strength will dominate this match. I know that I'm going to be taking the victory to back to Nicaragua."

Among the bouts on the Morales-Alfaro undercard is a 12-round co-feature between former two-time, WBA light heavyweight (175 pounds) champion, Hugo Hernan "Pigu" Garay (32-4, 17 KOs), of Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina, against Chris "Hard Hittin" Henry (24-2, 19 KOs), of Houston, Tex., in a WBA eliminator.

"I'm happy to be here [in Monterrey,] and completely ready to face Alfaro. Fans will see a different Erik Morales than in my last few fights," said Morales.

"Now I'm hungry to win this fight and to go on toward winning a world title in my fourth division," said Morales. "I want to prove to everyone watching that all of the hard work in training camp will result in a great performance in my return to the ring."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com