59) Erik Morales II Points 12: US Fight Commentary TV -
v Erik Morales II 22 June 2002 Nevada: [poor sound quality] [r1] … Morales showing some boxing … Right hand [Barrera] … back comes Morales … pushing Barrera back … good combination … [r2] … Backs comes Barrera … right hand … trying to gain control … stepped right into it … [r3] … Now he’s [Morales] moving … chasing Barrera down … Morales backing up … [r4] … Barrera is moving constantly to his left … a chess match … Barrera is dictating the tactics … [r5] … Barrera popping a punch … Morales yelling out … [r6] … Good counter-punch by Barrera … good right … [r7] … Tough one to score … Both giving and taking … no knockdown [Barrera: ‘a right hand by Morales’] … [r8] … Morales stepping in … a beautiful technician … [r9] … That left hook of Barrera’s … Barrera’s coming … A good right [Morales] … [r10] … Morales sharp, up on his toes … getting busy … nice right hand … [r11] … Over the top [Morales] … he’s gonna have to fight that last round with one eye [sic] … [r12] … Good right hand [Morales] … Barrera still stalking … Still punching both fighters … [116-112, 115-113, 115-113 Barrera] US fight commentary
[8.8] Erik Morales 61-52(36)-9[Welterweight & Light-Welterweight & Lightweight & Super-Featherweight & Featherweight & Super-Bantamweight]: Boxing Insider online - Boxing News online -
After lacing up the leather and engaging in the sixty-first fight of his illustrious professional career, Mexican ring legend Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales (52-8-0 with 36 KOs) looked to reclaim his WBC 140-pound strap and exact revenge against previous conqueror Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia (24-0-0 with 15 KOs). The Showtime televised twelve round contest took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with the WBA and WBC Light Welterweight titles at stake.
Although many questioned his return from retirement, Morales rekindled belief in April of 2011 with an impressive showing against Argentinean knockout artist Marcos Rene Maidana. Morales lost via controversial decision, but won a spot in the mix at 140-pounds. Morales furthered his credibility by brutally beating down Pablo Cesar Cano; a young and undefeated Mexican puncher with solid skills. ‘El Terrible’ showed some flashes of his prime as he battered Cano into submission, forcing the young Mexican pug not to come out after the tenth round. This led to Morales’ first encounter with Danny Garcia.
Morales-Garcia I was an entertaining event as ‘El Terrible’ made it exciting and competitive in the early rounds. Ultimately, the aging veteran ran out of gas in the late rounds and lost a twelve round decision.
In this second fight, Morales ended up viciously knocked down and stopped by a fighter in Garcia who could not have lived with Morales in the Tijuana legend’s prime.
Watching that after having viewed ‘El Terrible’ his entire career was difficult to say the least. This is not meant to disrespect Garcia, as he is on the rise and did what was expected of him.
Even though the fight went as anticipated, it does not make it easy to accept the official end of Morales as a viable competitor in boxing. This is the same man that brought boxing fans unforgettable epic battles against Marco Antonio Barrera, Daniel Zaragoza, Jesus Chavez, In Jin Chi, and Manny Pacquiao.
There was a time when the ring name ‘El Terrible’ struck fear in potential opponents and caused instant excitement amongst boxing scribes and the pugilistic public at large. Now, at the ripe old age of thirty-six, Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales does not rouse terror in his opposition. The excitement factor remains as the old Mexican warlord just does not seem capable of being involved in a dull fight.
Still, it was difficult to watch the current version of Morales not only lose this fight but also become embroiled in the doping drama leading up to the contest. Prior pre-fight controversy with Morales involved press conference brawls, a ton of trash talking and just being a vicious bastard that loved to fight. Recently, Morales – well above his best weight and past his prime – has been involved in positive drug tests for banned substances, rumors of lackluster training camps and constant issues with making weight. It’s not that Morales did not have trouble making weight in the past, but it is his lack of heyday passion that is obvious. Do not get me wrong as he still seems to have pure disdain for his opposition, but it just does not seem to motivate him as in years gone by.
To everything there is an end as no mortal is eternal and time erodes all. The heart may still beat with fury. The urges to be great may still course through the blood. The spirit may still want to be unleashed to prove its fire but the body may just be too tired, too worn from past battles and abuses levied through time.
Last night was not the real Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales. That fighter is nothing more than a memory of an era long-ago and now lost forever.
The boxing community is now left with nothing more than the memory of the prime Morales that once ruled the lower weight classes with an iron fist. Boxing Insider online article 21 October 2012 Sergio L Martinez, ‘Erik Morales: The End of El Terrible’
On This Day: Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales opened one of the deepest grudges in boxing history: ‘You can’t beat it – two ruthless, cold-eyed, dark-haired punchers, both respected champions who will give and sacrifice all to win. This 12-rounder possesses the key ingredients to produce a match as fiery and full of passion as any past all-Mexican showdown’.
So said Boxing News ahead of the super-bantamweight unification clash between Tijuana’s WBC ruler Erik Morales and Mexico City’s WBO boss Marco Antonio Barrera. And how accurate that description turned out to be, as the two proud warriors went toe-to-toe for 12 brutal, uninhibited and electrifying rounds. Not even a hotly disputed conclusion could take away from the captivating carnage that was on show.
In the build-up, Morales had claimed that he floored Barrera during a sparring session many years previously. The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ said it was a slip and he had been knocked down ‘only in Erik’s dreams’. The hostility between the pair was evident even before the first bell, with no touching of gloves taking place until the final round.
Barrera won a lively opening session and also took the next stanza, his left-right-left hook combination proving particularly effective. Rounds three and four proved the calm before the storm, as from the fifth onwards it was all-out war.
While Morales was always busier throughout, the more explosive punches came from his rival. Barrera responded to a bombardment of overhand rights in the fifth by lashing back spectacularly and shaking Erik, leading to a deafening roar of appreciation from the raucous crowd.
Barrera fought in spurts in rounds six and seven, while a tiring Morales jolted out jabs and stiff rights. ‘El Terrible’ found himself in trouble on the ropes in the eighth, with Barrera cracking left hooks into his foe’s ribs. Boxing News commented, ‘How Morales, such a thin man, remained upright is testament to his incomprehensible toughness’.
The unbridled ferocity continued into the ninth as two hooks from Marco Antonio crashed against his adversary’s jaw. Incredibly, Morales fired back with a string of crushing rights that opened a gash on Barrera’s swollen left cheek.
The man from the Mexican capital walked through a powerful right-left from Morales in the 10th and had to suck up a lot of punishment until the final minute of the round, when a counter onslaught caused Erik’s legs to quiver. The bloodied and bruised Morales hit back with rights and uppercuts as the rivals exchanged blows.
Barrera’s inside work was hugely impressive in the 11th but Morales refused to give ground. A knockdown was wrongly called in the final session as Erik slipped to one knee while ducking a hook. Keen to redress the balance, Morales threw himself at Barrera and the pair went at it until the last bell.
Although Erik edged the fight on punches landed (319-299), there were constant swings in fortune, with both boxers getting tagged on numerous occasions. The general consensus at ringside was that Barrera had done enough to claim the verdict. But it was Morales who took the controversial split decision. Boxing News online article 19 February 2019 Paul Wheeler
36) Marco Antonio Barrera I ***** SD Points 12: US Fight Commentary TV -
v Marco Antonio Barrera I 19 February 2000 WBC Super-Bantamweight [r1] … Barrera is going on the attack … a solid left hook … [Morales] lands the right uppercut … back comes Barrera to the body … Right hand by Morales … They trade in the middle of the ring … Both fighters have their moments … [r2] … Hard right hand by Morales … one-two combination by Barrera … vicious right cross … what a fight … Back comes Morales … goes downstairs … Right cross by Barrera … [r3] … Left hook to the body again by Barrera … backs him up against the ropes … Morales comes back … Here comes Barrera; here comes Morales … [r4] … Barrera fires away with both hands and they will trade again … Four punch combination by Morales … [r5] … Lots of toe to toe action … Morales begins to land the right hand … Blood pouring from the right nostril of Morales … Some kind of action … [r6] … Close fight … Good right hand by Barrera … left hand … Morales the hunter … back comes Barrera … [r7] … Barrera with another combination … Here comes Morales … Unbelievable action … [r8] … Both guys can take big shots … Big right hand [Barrera] … another … and a left hook … Back comes Morales … right hands … They trade right up to they bell … [Lederman: 76-76] … [r9] … Big left hook from Barrera … Morales comes back with a right hand … The Morales rally … What a combination by Barrera … [r10] … Three straight right hands by Morales … This will stand the test of comparison … [r11] … followed by a big right hand from Barrera … more body shots … The long right hand lands from Morales … An unforgettable war … [r12] … Hard right hand by Morales … Barrera going forwards … two left hooks … And there’s the first knockdown of Erik Morales’ career [‘not a punch’] … What a fight … I think Barrera won it … [114-113 Barrera, 114-113 Morales, 113-112 Morales] US fight commentary