By James Slater: They are two of the greatest Mexican fighters in all of boxing history, yet modern day legends Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez have never faced one another in the ring. This could change on July 14th at Cowboys Stadium in Texas according to a news piece on Ringtv.com.
Richard Schaefer informed the web site of “The Bible of Boxing” that talks have been started regarding making a match between the two veterans.
“July 14th, that is the date that Top Rank is looking at for Marquez, so we’ll see. Hopefully we can get that done with Morales,” Schaefer said.
Originally, the drum was being banged for a Marquez-Brandon Rios clash, but “Bam Bam” looked so poor in being handed a gift of a decision “win” over Richard Abril that the fight fell through. Then Marquez, hoping to land a fourth date with archrival Manny Pacquiao in the fall, started searching for a southpaw, with former champ Zab Judah being a possibility, but now it looks like the all-Mexican showdown that has eluded fans for all these years could finally happen this summer.
Morales, last seen losing a heavy decision against the much younger Danny Garcia, is not the force he once was, and he has far less left than does Marquez; even though “Dinamita” is the older man by three years. “El Terrible” has a lot more miles on the clock and has taken more punishment than has his countryman. Even so, this Mexican grudge-match will attract a ton of fan interest if it goes down. And you can simply never count out Morales – the last man to have done what Marquez, 54-6-1(39) so passionately wants to do, and beat Pac-Man.
Marquez, one of the best 38-year-old’s in all of boxing, has to be made a significant favourite, but styles makes fights, and Morales’ style, sheer drive and motivation to win this one may lead him to give the reigning interim WBO 140-pound champ a really hard time in the summer. The legacy of both men cannot afford a loss here, and that alone should inspire both men into giving us fans yet another sensational fight. For Morales, this fight, if it happens, will likely be his last headlining show – if he loses, that is.
But if Morales, 52-8(36) wins? Could we get a Pacquiao-Morales IV instead of a Pacquiao-Marquez IV?