Morales wants to fight Pacquao and JMM? Say it aint So!!!

What damaged Morales most was having a phyiscal fight with Chavez in Feb 04, a war with Hernendez in July 04, a classic war with Barrera in Nov 04 and another violent war with Pacquiao in March 05. So you have 48 tough rounds in 13 months not to mention the near 6-8 months of phyiscal training camp and draining himself to cut weight all 4 of those fights. Bro that breaks your body down especially with Morales between fight lifestyle of mexican beer and tacos and blowing up to 190 pounds.

 

Those were two separate points, I was saying that it wasn't a schooling, and that he didn't take much punishment. I wasn't saying that it wasn't a schooling because he didn't take much punishment. Do you get me, or am I still not explaining myself properly here? I'm tired and I'm not expressing myself very well.

Anyhow, I have always saw "schooling" used to describe a Hopkins-Pavlik/Calzaghe-Lacy/Pacquiao-Clottey style 12-0 or at most 11-1 trouncing on the scorecards. Raheem-Morales was not this.

Because he was facing the biggest, strongest, most powerful opponent of his career, because said opponent had been working him very hard to the body, because he was being hit harder than ever before to the head, and because yes he had past his physical prime by then. But he had been past his physical prime for a few years by that point. He had never been worked over like this though.

We can keep going back and forth, but we've done it too many times, it's pointless and boring. See you on another thread amigo.

 

Indeed two other examples are Roy Jones who still thinks hes the best pound for pound fighter in the world and Holyfield thinking he can become undisputed heavyweight champion once again.

 

Strange that he got through all of those fights though, and it was only when he fought a fighter who was bigger, stronger, more powerful, more relentless, more determined, and all-round better than any of those guys that he finally fell. Watch Morales-Pac II. Are you telling me that version of Morales was ready to be taken? I can't agree. He fights like a demon in the 1st half of the fight before Pacquiao cannot be denied. Erik would have emerged victorious if he was facing guys of Chavez and Hernandez calibre again that night. But he wasn't. He was facing a better fighter than them or him. That was the truth of the fight. Later dudes

 

We're actually in agreement Popkins.

I'm of the belief that Erik was past his prime by 2004.

He wasn't shot for the second Morales counter, a shot fighter resembles Castillo from the other night. Timing was way off, he had absolutely nothing to offer. It was an embarassment. That being said, due to the weight issues, and how Morales had slipped, to say the Morales II victory is one for all time would be a huge overstatement. This is how I rate Manny's victories.

1. Marco Antonio Barrera I
2. Miguel Cotto
3. Ricky Hatton
4. Juan Manuel Marquez II
5. Erik Morales II

 

I would go:

1.Cotto
2.Barrera 1
3.Marquez 2
4.Clottey
5.Morales 2

Barrera was a far superior fighter to Cotto, but you can't get away from the achievement of blitzing a welterweight champ when you are a former light-flyweight who was at superfeather less than two years previously. It's pretty mind-blowing. Both amazing wins though, two of the best of the decade. Marquez 2 takes 3rd for me because JMM was peak. Clottey 3rd because it was so one-sided and again because of the weight factor. Morales 2 is 5th ahead of Hatton for me by a whisker, because he was the first man to stop Erik, the 1st man to properly drop him, and because of the fight itself and the fight Erik put up.

 

I can't agree with the notion that dominating Clottey over 12 uneventful rounds is half as impressive as decapitating Ricky Hatton, who was previously undefeated at 140lbs. Manny had never even fought at that weight before.

Never had I been shunned to silence watching a fight like I was that night. It was chilling.

 

This is how fighters get seriously hurt in the ring ...Morales is not a welterweight not now and never will be.

 

I think this would be a good fight for Marquez and Morales. It would be a huge draw and a great fight for a Mexican crowd in terms of legacy and action, and the caliber of the fighters are absolutely deserving of each other. Marquez is hard-pressed to find a competitive reputable fight these days in his age and largely unexplored weight. They're both aged so there is no handicap, both Mexican warriors, both deserving of a good last few fights and secure paydays. It's more than a bit late, but it seems like a fight definitely worth seeing.

 

Erik was asked about Manny this week.

You are unique as you are the only person that has defeated Manny Pacquiao in his last 13 fights, combined to the fact that he was ko'd as fly weight , you, that felt his power and his best punches, what you think of him now when beats ex- super-light weight champs, welters, superwelters? What do you make of him?

“His best weapon is his disorderly attack; his greatest strength is his disorderly attack and that he is left-handed; he surprises his opponents; nevertheless, I in the shoes of many, believe me I could care less about his power and… to the best of my memory, the times that we fought, I say, the video of our fights does not lie. Yes, he knocked me down in our second fight but my body was just not responding. In the third fight I made the mistake of listening to Top Rank, I should never have trained with the people they chose, I hastily accepted things that I now know were mistakes like having accepted to fight him at 130 pounds. I believe that Manny is a fighter like any other, to which have not many punches have been thrown at him or I do not know why; perhaps it is an act of God, its incredible, I cannot say anything else to you because it does not settle with me that his opponents fight like they dont want to win ; they do not throw blows, remain motionless in front of him, you still see ours third fight, the little that it lasted, I snapped his head back a few times and stunned him; nevertheless I really did not have my strength in that fight, I was wobbled in the exchanges, something that never had happened to me, not even in the second fight , despite the fact that I had no strength in the second fight. I practically trained all camp just to make weight; I accepted to train with Velocity, a clinic in Los Angeles that Top Rank sent me to, they now work with Pacquiao, and that when I realized that they were not giving me the proper training I fired them, but already it was too late.

 

I am a fan of both MAB & EM so it's weird for me. I respect EM's heart but he has to understand being successful again is very unlikely and beating Pacquiao again is even more unlikely. I hope him well and will root for him regardless.

 

Morales has zero chance against Pac.

 

Is Erik doing well financially these days? Boxing in your mid 30s can be hazardous to ones health.

 

I felt that Morales won the first two fights, and MAB won the 3rd. The first fight was a very close, great fight... but I had Morales edging him. Definitely not a robbery by any stretch of the imagination. Morales clearly won the 2nd fight, and Barrera clearly won the 3rd.

 

selfkill who would you rank higher in ATG terms between Barrera and Morales? How would Morales victory over Pacquiao and pacquaio's continuing rise in ATG rankings affect morales' standing?