Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Erik Morales in 2011 Will be a Sad Day for Boxing:
Rumors are flying that with Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Erik Morales is virtually a done deal for April 16th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ostensibly this is a clash between two Mexican greats, but even on paper the fight does not look that good.
Erik “El Terrible” Morales retired in August 2007 after four straight losses, the victim of too many wars on his famously lanky frame. He began a comeback in March 2010, and has since won three fights as a welterweight and junior welterweight. However, all of those opponents have been of the journeyman class. Not even one can be counted as a gatekeeper, let alone a serious contender, and therefore Morales has done nothing to demonstrate that he belongs in the ring with one of boxing’s top Pound-for-Pound fighters and challenging for the WBO-WBA Lightweight Title. Still, boxing often feasts on its faded legends and Morales has a great name. By all reports Morales does not need the payday, but he seems unable to let go of his warrior spirit and his need for glory.
For his part, Marquez has been denied yet again a rubber match with Manny Pacquiao. One must wonder whether the proud Mexican warrior — who at age 37 feels he has beaten Pacquiao twice — has given up on ever getting his long-desired third go at the Filipino superstar. Pacquiao is six years younger than Marquez, and it is now crystal clear that if the Filipino superstar ever gives “Dinamita” a rematch it will only be after Marquez goes far enough past his prime to no longer pose a threat. If Marquez were still pursuing a fight with Pacquiao, the logical next step would be to gun for Amir Khan or the winner of Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander. If a 140 lbs unified championship isn’t held in the spring or summer, Marquez is ideally positioned to step into the picture. He still might, but taking on Erik Morales is not the way to get there. Instead, Marquez has gone for the easy payday and the satisfaction of a fight with a man who ducked and frustrated him for years.
So the fight satisfies the ambitions of both men to a certain extent (although it will surely be bittersweet for Morales) and earns both men a hefty payday, but accomplishes nothing in terms of advancing the career of anyone involved or even satisfying fans. Enough Mexican boxing fans will probably buy the fight to make it a success, but I think I can speak for many fight fans outside of the Mexican community when I say the prospect of Marquez vs. Morales in 2011 is utterly distasteful. I have no desire to watch one man I admire tee off on the shopworn remains of another man I admire. I would rather watch either men fight anyone other than each other at this stage in their careers, so if the contracts are signed and the fight comes to pass, April 16th will be a sad day indeed.
