All Hail “El Terrible” as he Fights On

 I’m glad he’s back. Because the sport of boxing needs about a dozen more Erik Moraleses. Yeah, he may not be the guy he once was but y’ know what? Even the rotund version of Elvis played to great crowds and was still pretty damn entertaining. Whenever this guy fights, I’ll still watch it. It beats watching the track meets on HBO.

I can’t lie, as both Morales and his archrival Marco Antonio Barrera were coming up in the mid-to-late ’90s, I was much more of a Barrera fan. Perhaps because he was promoted locally by Forum Boxing (Remember them?) and it seemed as though it was Barrera who would be the heir apparent to the great Julio Cesar Chavez. And he did reach stardom earlier with his epic 1996 battle with Kennedy McKinney at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles that kicked off “Boxing After Dark” on HBO so gloriously. “The Baby-Faced Assassin” just seemed to possess better skills than Morales and when they finally commenced their rivalry in February of 2000, despite getting the nod in their hellacious battle, I thought it was Barrera who bested him that night.

But as the years have gone on, it’s Morales I have come to respect more. No, he didn’t have me at “Hello” but over the years I’ve just come to really admire this salty, no-nonsense bastard. Number one, this guy couldn’t be in a bad fight if he tried. Quick- name one. Perhaps when Zahir Raheem stunk it out on him but that’s about it. But as Barrera slowly morphed into more of boxer/puncher, his fights became more and more methodical and downright boring at times. Morales has never lost that zeal for combat. While Barrera seemed to fight with his safety in mind the second half of his prime, Morales never stopped fighting for the people. 

Then there was this fact; when the going got tough for Barrera, whether it was against Manny Pacquiao in their initial encounter or versus Juan Manuel Marquez, he would not hesitate to bend the rules or take blatant cheap shots. I don’t ever recall such illicit behavior from Morales. There seemed to be a sense of honor with him that didn’t always exist with Barrera. If you could whup him- he would take it. There was a code that Morales lived by. Just as Daniel Zaragoza gave him his tribute as he was being counted out against Morales in his first world title appearance, Morales reciprocated that gesture to Pacquiao in their rubber match when it was clear that this was not going to be his night (No, he was not always a perfect sportsman. Who can forget him posing for pictures over a prone Fernando “Bobby Boy” Velardez, who had committed the cardinal sin of defeating Morales’ brother, Diego, in a past bout. Hey, I never said he was perfect but that type of machismo was part of his broad appeal).

And how can you not love a guy who was as blunt and unfiltered as Morales? He was a reporters dream and in any language, he made for good copy. Many of today’s athletes are polished to a point of being so programmed that they are simply incapable of telling you anything revealing or honest about themselves or anything else. Morales, on the other hand, simply told it to you as it was. At the height of the Mexican Civil War between he and Barrera that raged on even after they were done battling each other, he was asked if he had gained any respect for Barrera as time went on. Morales simply stated ( and I’m just quoting him loosely),"No, I still think he’s a mother**ker."

Lastly, his loyalty. Yes, while he is no longer with Top Rank and Fernando Beltran, till his fight with David Diaz in 2007 (in which he retired at the behest of Bob Arum), you never heard a word of discontent from Morales regarding his business dealings. Unlike Barrera, who after dumping Forum Boxing, then joined Golden Boy Promotions in a much ballyhooed deal where he was made a “partner” and was the head of “Golden Boy Mexico”- which is I guess is now the Latin version of America Presents. In due time, he was bad-mouthing Golden Boy before signing with Don King. Morales, though, for the most part, was a picture of stability and gratitude. And he didn’t try and get into the business of boxing. His business was fighting and that’s what he focused on. Talk to past associates of Barrera and you will find more than one person who will tell you what a pain in the backside it was to cater to his every whim and desire. You don’t hear that about Morales, which is one of the reasons why Ricardo Jimenez, a publicist for Top Rank who developed a close relationship with him, showed up a few weeks ago to his press conference at Olvera Street, per Morales’ request. Despite no longer being with the company, Jimenez still considers him a friend.

We’re not fans and followers of the sport because of the money a fighter makes (unless of course, you’re a Floyd Mayweather groupie). We latch onto fighters because of the memories they create and from his battles with Zaragoza, Junior Jones, In-Jin Chi, Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez and his historic trilogies with Barrera and Pacquiao, who has created more of memories than this guy for the past generation?

He was/is Arturo Gatti but with a better skill set and a higher grade of accomplishments. And if he is willing and able to create more memorable nights, then I’m going to sit back and enjoy them for as long as this ride lasts.

HAYMON BOXING ORGANIZATION

Has anyone else noticed what is going on- or isn’t going on- with all the clients of one Al Haymon, the tail that wags the dog that is HBO? The powerful adviser, whose client list includes Floyd Mayweather, Paul Williams, Andre Berto and Andre Dirrell, is having a bit of rough patch here.

Most of all, Haymon couldn’t deliver Mayweather to the dance for a fight against Pacquiao for this November. Beyond that, the Williams rematch with Sergio Martinez STILL isn’t signed, sealed and delivered (although sources tell me it will get done eventually for November 20^th). Regarding Berto, it’s not clear when/if he’s going to collect another huge annuity for facing an over\matched opponent and  there are conflicting reports whether Dirrell’s “Super Six” showdown with Andre Ward on Showtime is just postponed or just completely scratched off the board.

It’s funny but anytime you ask the promoters of record about what’s going on, you basically get shrugs of shoulders and a bunch of “No comments,” because, in truth, the man running the show is Haymon. You see, he is the organ grinder and individuals like Gary Shaw, Lou DiBella and Dan Goossen are the monkeys here. They realize this. Perhaps it’s time for these guys to take back the business they are in by refusing to get into such deals that leave them so feckless and devoid of any power.

As for HBO, well, they helped create this monster; now, they have to deal with it. But I’m sure the likes of Kery Davis will try their best to placate his every whim and desire because it’s become more and more evident in recent years that it’s Haymon’s needs that are catered to, more than their subscribers.

PASSION PLAYS

While the big sports story in the States was the kickoff weekend of college football (my favorite time of the year), across the globe, there was some great stuff going on in boxing. Germany once again showed how to stage an event by putting on their customary show in presenting Felix Sturm’s defense of his WBA middleweight title versus Giovanni Lorenzo. No, the fight was anything but great but the theatrical presentation of the boxers is something that is sorely missing over here. Our “promoters” and networks have forgotten that boxing is still in the business of entertainment.

In Scotland, I’m told that the “Fight of the Year” took place as Ricky Burns dethroned WBO 130-pound titlist Roman “Rocky” Martinez in a 12-round slugfest in front of a lively, raucous crowd.

So, let’s see here; you had two events that were well-attended that the fans seemed to enjoy. Imagine that.

What are the common denominators? Well, first they involved real promoters who did their jobs in Arena Box-Promotions and Frank Warren. Then they were in non-casino venues (Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany and Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland) and you had local fighters who created and inspired- as Kathy Duva would say- passion of some degree.

See, while some say the boxing business is dying, I would argue that in other parts of the world, it is still doing very well. Maybe it’s only “dying” in the United States because those who are in charge aren’t doing it very well.

OVERRATED ALIBI

I’ll say it again; the most overrated reason given for boxing’s demise is the lame reasoning that somehow multiple sanctioning bodies have eroded the public’s interest in the sport. But it’s funny; both fights I just mentioned above were contested for these supposedly “meaningless trinkets,” where neither titlist coming in was considered each division’s best. What was more important were that the aforementioned factors and the presence of a major world title belt just added to the stakes. Just think about it; were there really any people in those regions who said to themselves, "Well, I would go to this event but, golly gee, I’m just sooo confused by all these alpha-belts and stuff and I demand clarity as to just who the ’real’ champion is."

In the real world, not likely. But those who disagree with this remind me of the people that disagreed with Christopher Columbus and kept insisting that the world was flat. Maybe they really don’t know any better. I know some will disagree vehemently and will just trot out the same tired clichés on this issue. 

Someone who won’t is one Kathy Duva of Main Events.

"The sanctioning bodies are virtually irrelevant at this point; while sometimes, if they follow their rules, you can get your guy in a mandatory position and maybe enforce a fight you can’t get to happen otherwise," she told Maxboxing, on a recent appearance on “The Main Event.” "And frankly, in some cases, that’s a good thing. The fact is, it’s maybe the only thing that stops certain promoters from having total dominion over the sport. For example, I can’t get anyone to fight Zab Judah; sooner or later, somebody who’s connected at HBO is going to end up fighting Zab Judah because it’s the only way he can keep his title.

"But the truth is, as long as one or two promoters or managers get to decide who they’re going to fight, when they’re going to fight and literally HBO has abandoned using the leverage that they have- or should have- what incentive is there for them to put on a good fight?” Duva asked. "Other than it would be good for the sport. But frankly, that’s never been their agenda. Their agenda has been what’s good for them."

That’s why she is “The First Lady of Promoting.”

But to her point, think about it; using Berto as an example, he’s fought a lot of no-hopers but the one time he did have a close and entertaining fight, it was because the WBC had named Luis Collazo as his mandatory challenger. There is no denying that all the sanctioning bodies have made a mockery of their own rankings at times; but when they do it correctly, the system absolutely works. In fact, a perfect example was when Paul Williams was named the WBO welterweight mandatory challenger to one Antonio Margarito. Anyone else really think Margarito-Williams was going to ever happen without it being forced?

And in looking at the case of one Danny Jacobs, who was destined to become Haymon’s next trust fund baby on HBO, his fight with Dmitry Pirog was set for the vacant WBO middleweight crown because they were the top two highest rated contenders available to fight for that belt. And we all saw what took place on July 31^st.

I can’t lie; I trust the sanctioning bodies right now to make more competitive match-ups for Haymon boxers than I do certain networks.

FINAL FLURRIES

On this weekend’s edition of “Top Rank Live” from Jalisco, Jorge Solis stopped Francisco Cordero in six, as did Omar Nino versus Ronald Barrera...I can’t wait for the “Boxing After Dark” opener this Saturday night when lightweights Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios battles Anthony Peterson. Now to me, this is an old-school “B.A.D.” hook-up...Heard there was a huge Mexican turnout in Dallas Cowboys Stadium for the Pacquiao-Margarito press conference on Friday. I have a feeling that  November 13^th will be a road game for “The Pac-Man”...I think ATT (after Tim Tebow) will be tough for Florida but, geez, it turns out that they might miss center Maurkice Pouncey just as much. You simply can’t have 12 botched snaps in a game...What a game between ECU and Tulsa, huh?...This weekend, I will be in Columbus, Ohio at the famed “Horseshoe” as the Miami Hurricanes battle the Ohio State Buckeyes and in preparation for my trip, I got two books, Boys Will be Boys by Jeff Pearlman, which details the off-the-field exploits of the Cowboys of the 1990s and Perfect Rivals by Jeff Carroll, which talks about the rivalry between Miami and Notre Dame in the ‘80s (still the most heated rivalry that I have ever witnessed)...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com and I tweet at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. We also have a Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Maxboxing.