Several options for rejuvenated Erik Morales as he moves forward.........

Earlier this month Erik 'El Terrible' Morales surprised us all by fighting a dogged battle with brutal-punching Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand. Thought to be a dead man walking heading into the fight, Morales showed true grit, professionalism, and heart as he rallied to do his part in offering up an electric battle despite losing a close twelve round decision that many felt he should have won.

At 34 years old Morales has no plans of walking away just yet and is set on his goal of winning a title in a fourth weight division, as he has already picked up trinkets at 122, 126, and 130 pounds during his glorious run at the beginning of the last decade. Morales is tentatively scheduled for a July 30th return in Las Vegas despite initially showing interest in staging a bout in his native Mexico.

Here is a quick look at some potential opponents for that night.

Robert Guerrero

On the undercard of the Morales-Maidana fight we were witness to another fine battle as Gilroy, California's Robert 'The Ghost' Guerrero put a little bit of a beating on tough Australian Michael Katsidis. Guerrero showed his class in outmaneuvering his aggressive foe and busting him up with counter shots from long range.

Guerrero joins the likes of Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz, and Juan Manuel Marquez as the only men to defeat the rugged Australian and he could very well cause a lot of problems for Morales because of his size, length, and ability.

Matthew Hatton

A rare name that has been thrown into the mix, as reported by ***********.com's Jhonny Gonzalez, is that of former title contender Matthew Hatton, last seen losing a lopsided decision to Saul Alvarez in early March at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Hatton has always been known best as being the young brother of Ricky, who was adored by his countrymen and one of the more accomplished junior welterweight champions in recent memory.

Matthew is a willing foe but extremely limited and despite having a natural size advantage over Morales it is unlikely he would match Erik on skill alone. Still, it would be entertaining.

Marco Antonio Barrera

Nobody can forget the three memorable fights between Morales and his countryman Marco Antonio Barrera. Morales went 1-2 in those bouts, winning the first via split-decision and losing the next two, and to this day the two men appear to have a grudge towards one another.

The first and third battles between Morales and Barrera was as scintillating as they come and logic says that whenever they meet, regardless of their age or present stature in the sport, that some kind of high drama and excitement would be involved.

Marcos Maidana

Morales' effort against Maidana was commendable and it's only natural for Golden Boy Promotions to kick around the idea of a rematch. Maidana, for as fierce of a fighter as he is inside of the ring, is a completely modest individual and has paid all respect to Morales for his gritty effort.

The Argentinean has said several times that he is willing to face anyone and that includes a second tussle with Morales.

 

I feel Morales should already be a ''4 weight world champion'':deal

You could also throw Marquez in the mix aswell