MORALES PLANS COMEBACK NEXT YEAR
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 08 Oct 2008
Erik ?El Terrible? Morales who is best remembered for his epic trilogies with Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and another Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, plans a comeback next year.
That?s what well-known boxing writer Mark Vester of the widely-read site Boxing Scene says. And Morales? return to the ring would probably be in June 2009.
Vester quotes Morales as saying "My plans have not changed. I expect to return to the ring in search of the lightweight world title.?
Morales said ?I will go into a big fight directly, no precautionary fights or against average fighters,"
The former three-time world champion said he "suffered for years making weight at super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight, but all of that is going to pass now that I'm going to lightweight."
In his last fight on August 4, 2007 Morales lost by a unanimous decision in a title fight against WBC lightweight champion David Diaz who was subsequently demolished by Pacquiao via a 9th round stoppage.
Morales had also fought Zahir Raheem in a lightweight tune-up fight before his third encounter with Pacquiao and lost that fight too by a twelve round unanimous decision on September 10, 2005.
After winning his first battle with Pacquiao via a unanimous decision on March 19, 2005 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Morales was hammered into submission in ten rounds by Pacquiao and lost via TKO on January 21, 2006.
In their third and final meeting on November 18, 2006, Pacquiao annihilated Morales in a brutal three-round beating.
Morales pleaded with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum for one more chance against Diaz and when he lost, the Mexican legend announced his retirement. But now he says he wants to come back but Arum has made it clear in the past he would not promote Morales and says he doesn?t want to see him get hurt.
Top photo: Erik Morales (R) raises the hand of Manny Pacquiao in victory during their third and final bout in November, 2006.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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