Despite the fact that he is seen as such a heavy underdog in his April 9 matchup against hard- hitting puncher Marcos Maidana, Tijuana’s Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs) remains upbeat, and confident of his chances for victory. In a conference call held earlier in the week, the three- division former champion discussed the reasoning behind his challenge of Maidana, a fighter who is in his prime, and who is revered as one of the heaviest hitters in the sport. “This is a very important fight for me” (Morales said through a translator). It’s even more important that he (Maidana) is the favorite, because I think that I’m going to win this fight. Everybody has to remember that I choose to fight Maidana, I decided to fight with Maidana, and it’s going to be a war.”

    Morales believes that his 18-year experience as a professional prizefighter along with his technical savvy will guide him to victory. “I think that my technique is better than his” Morales said. He’s a fighter that comes forward, absorbs punches, disorganized. Styles make fights, and his style is very good for my style, I can adjust very well to his style, I’ve seen him and I feel very confident. Seen as a one-dimensional fighter, Maidana recently enlisted the help of respected trainer Rudy Perez to help with the technical aspect of his game. The Argentinean admits that Perez was not his first choice, but sought out his services after he was spurned by legendary trainer Ignacio Beristain.

    At 34 years old, Morales is looking to turn back the clock, and shock the boxing world when he meets Maidana a week from tomorrow at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Should he come out victorious, Morales would become the World Boxing Association interim champion, and one step closer of fulfilling his dream of becoming the first Mexican fighter to win titles in four different weight classes. 

Más Morales

     La empresa Box Latino del tres veces campeon Erik “Terrible” Morales regresa al puerto turístico de Rosarito, Baja California, para presentar “Talento A Prueba” el Sabado, 2  de Abril, en el Gimnasio Municipal.  La velada incluirá siete peleas donde el talento local de la región será puesto a prueba ante la exigente afición Rosarito. En la contienda estelar, Oscar “Finito” Gonzalez (21-1, 17KOs) de Tepic, Nayarit, se enfrentará al experimentado Tijuanense Arturo “Aguilita” Valenzuela (20-15, 17KOs) en un combate pactado a diez vueltas en la division de los plumas.  La pelea será un examen difícil para Gonzalez ya que Valenzuela se ha medido contra unos rivales fuertes como son Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, Juan Luis “Perla Negra” Hernandez y el ya mencionado Sanabria.

     Boletos están disponibles en la taquilla del Gimnasio Municipal de Rosarito. Para más información, por favor visiten www.boxlatino.com

 Tough Talk

    “People say I cannot beat the Klitschko’s because I am too short, that I can’t fight heavyweight. But when I started fighting heavyweight I beat Arreola, and next Grant, and every fight is better. I love not being the favorite because I want to make it a surprise and become the heavyweight champion.” – 6’1″ Heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek responding to crtics that say he is too short to face the 6’7″ Klitschko brothers. Adamek will be in action on April 9 when he takes on Kevin Mcbride on Pay Per View.

    “I do look a little bit better.  The main thing with being 30 years old is you only have a little window of opportunity and it’s time for me to do it. I let everyone down when I showed a lack of dedication to the sport and I look forward to showing myself again.” –

    “In my preparation I’m probably giving him more respect than he deserves. My job is to put him away from the opening bell. My job is to make him feel the same way he felt right after the Carl Froch fight as soon as possible.”  –World Boxing Association champion Andre Ward on his next opponent Arthur Abraham. The two meet in the semifinals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic on May 14.

    Catch a glimpse of Manny Pacquiao’s preparation for his May 7th bout against Shane Mosley tomorrow morning, when Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao vs. Mosley premieres on CBS (channel 8 locally) at 9 a.m.