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One more fight, Erik Morales isn’t hanging up his gloves
Published: December 10, 2006 by The Bohol Standard

Despite absorbing a severe thrashing from Manny Pacquiao in his third straight loss two weeks ago, Erik Morales isn’t hanging up his gloves.

Morales, 30, said before facing Pacquiao in the climax of their trilogy that he would decide whether or not to retire depending on the outcome of the rubber match. The Mexican was floored thrice by Pacquiao in suffering his second career knockout defeat and has now lost four of his last five outings. The expectation was he would announce his retirement after the devastating loss.

But a few days ago, Morales said he has unfinished business as a fighter and wants one more bout to end his career on a high note in his Tijuana hometown.

Morales and Julio Cesar Chavez are the only Mexicans to win world titles in three different divisions and “El Terrible” is determined to etch his name in history as the first Aztec warrior to capture championships in four weight classes. He’s now gunning for the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight crown held by Cuban veteran Joel Casamayor.

It’s no secret that Morales has outgrown the 130-pound division and forced himself to go down to the superfeatherweight limit for three big paydays against Pacquiao. Morales tried not only to fight Mother Nature but also Father Time. He managed to eke out a win over Pacquiao in their first encounter but was badly trounced in the next two.

Morales has fought only once as a lightweight, bowing to Zahir Raheem on points last year. He tipped the scales at 134 pounds for the bout in Los Angeles and seemed unable to carry the extra weight, looking slow and sluggish.

Whether Morales can muster the energy and strength for one final stab at glory is a question mark, considering Casamayor is no pushover.

“I will not make a goodbye tour,” said Morales, quoted in the website fightnews.com. “I will only fight for the world lightweight title. Then, win or lose, I will go away from boxing.”

There was initial speculation that Morales would choose an inferior opponent to blow away in his farewell bout but he quickly put on record his intention to fight Casamayor or whoever is the WBC lightweight champion in June or July next year.

Casamayor, 35, won the WBC 135-pound crown on a split 12-round decision over Diego Corrales last October to raise his record to 34-3-1, with 21 KOs. His only losses were decisions to Jose Luis Castillo (split), Corrales (split) and Acelino Freitas (unanimous).

One thing’s for sure, Morales won’t fight Pacquiao a fourth time.

“I won’t fight Pacquiao again,” said Morales. “If I ever put on a fight like (Marco Antonio) Barrera and (Floyd) Mayweather and my fans boo me, then that is a sign for me to walk away. You can’t tell me that you are not entertained after seeing my fights. It’s very motivating for me to get back to the level I’m accustomed to. I have two motivations — the people who want me to win and the people who don’t want me to win.”

Morales hasn’t won since scoring a close decision over Pacquiao in March last year. His record is 48-5, with 34 KOs. He has lost only to Pacquiao (twice), Raheem and Barrera (twice).

In the ring immediately after he was knocked out by Pacquiao two weeks ago, Morales told HBO announcer Larry Merchant “maybe, it’s time to retire.” It was an impulse reaction to the devastating loss.

“Maybe, it’s time to think about not doing this anymore,” said Morales. “I’m going to take some time off and think. I’ve had a great career and all these people were out here cheering for me. Maybe, it’s time for me to go home.”

Morales said if he couldn’t take the punches of a 130-pounder, it would be suicidal for him to move up to lightweight where the fighters are stronger and heavier.

But like most fighters who refuse to accept the inevitability of retirement, Morales has changed his mind and is now talking about challenging Casamayor for the WBC lightweight title.

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