Was Erik Morales really at his best at 122lbs?

Just a question worth thinking about.

Erik Morales didn't really fight and beat too many fighters of note as a Super Bantamweight besides Marco Antonio Barrera, Junior Jones, and Daniel Zaragoza. On paper, that sounds terribly impressive, but a couple of things to consider. Daniel Zaragoza was woefully past his prime, and the fight was pretty much the passing of the torch. Likewise, although Jones was one of the best at 122lbs, he had just been stopped early by Mckinney before Morales defeated him. Not a great win on the grand scale. The majority of observers had MAB beating Morales at the Mandalay Bay, also.

I'm not detracting from Erik Morales accomplishments, he probably is the best Super Bantamweight since the great Wilfredo Gomez, but I thought he got better with experience. Look at the performances he turned in against Paulie Ayala, Carlos Hernandez, and Manny Pacquiao? Among his most accomplished performances of his career, and all above 122lbs. He seemed to improve his defense somewhat, and became more of a measured operator. At least in my opinion. Morales most technically accomplished performances, including his debated loss to Marco in the rematch, all happened around 2002-2005.

Thoughts?

 

:good

It's puzzling to me that the overwhelming majority think he was at his best at 122lbs. I watched his fight with Daniel Zaragoza just the other day, and there wasn't a great deal to admire. He was getting tagged repeatedly by the overhand right, and although Morales was never all that elusive at the higher weights, he got tagged less often and seemed to place his punches with more purpose against the likes of Ayala and Hernandez.

 

I think Erik Morales had the capacity to defeat Barrera at 130lbs, but he wasn't taking his opponent as seriously as he should have, and was more concerned with scoring the knockout then winning the right way, which is something Jones Jr alluded too in the commentary box. He came in like 10lbs heavier than Barrera, and was talking only of knocking out his opponent before the opening bell. He won the second half of the fight, but by that time it was too late. He showed against Manny Pacquiao that he was still a force, but taking part in those kind of fights, back to back, must be taxing and would inevitably show a bit later on, I think.

I don't think any version of Morales that was seen at 122lbs would have had the technical capacity to compete with a Manny Pacquiao or a Featherweight, Marco Antonio Barrera. It's hard to make the comparison given the differences in weight, etc. but on a technical level, I think he showed much more later on, as McGrain says.

 

Erik Morales may well have dominated for a long time if he had decided to stay at 122lbs, but that would have been testament to how weak Super Bantamweight became once himself and Marco Antonio Barrera moved up to the 126lbs limit. It wasn't really a choice he made anyhow, he was struggling to make weight so he was almost forced to move up a division.

For me, the weight wasn't as much as a factor as timing. Erik Morales would have improved gradually regardless of whether he was moving though the weights or not, but it just so happens that he started at 122lbs, and that's when he wasn't the finished article on a technical level.

 

Care to elaborate on why you think he was at his best at Super Bantam?

 

I don't see Pacquiao stopping Morales at 122lbs.

 

If only because you overstate it, consistently.