TOUGHIE FOR EL TERRIBLE

When Erik Morales made his debut in the super featherweight division last October all it needed was one big right hand to establish himself as the premier fighter in the 9st 4lbs (130lbs) weight class. It will not be anywhere near as easy when the formidable fighter from Tijuana faces Mexican-born, Texas-based Jesus Chavez, in a bid to become a three-weight world champion on 28 February.

Faced with a somewhat faded Guty Espadas in Los Angeles, Morales got the job done with the first serious right-hander he landed, in the third round. It will be a real fight, though, when El Terrible answers the bell against Chavez on a Home Box Office-televised main event at the MGM Grand casino hotel, Las Vegas.

Chavez is one of those in-your-face fighters who doesn’t go away when he gets hit. Stopped in nine rounds by Floyd Mayweather Jr in November 2001, he captured the World Boxing Council title at the second attempt with a widely scored points victory over the Thai, Sirimongkol, in Chavez’s hometown of Austin, the Texas capital, last August. Against Mayweather, Chavez was competitive until his classier opponent’s counter punching broke him down. But Chavez was never off his feet.

When he fought Sirimongkol, it was as if Chavez took himself to another level, not so much in terms of boxing ability but in the way he kept driving forward and kept punching for almost the entire 12 rounds. Chavez’s trainer, the ex-boxer Richard Lord, said over the phone from Austin: “They [the Thai camp] thought Jesus would get tired after six rounds, but they were wrong. There was no backing off. When the Thai guy realised he needed to start being offensive, he had nothing left, completely without power. Jesus was in great shape and very confident, and he’ll be in even better shape and even more confident for this fight.”

It is no secret that a victory for Morales would be the preferred result for promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc. With the Hispanic boxing market the only one that is actually healthy in America, Morales is one of the big Spanish-language stars who will be even bigger if he becomes champ at 9st 4lbs after having captured titles at super bantam and featherweight.

Morales, 27, is one of those fighters with the aura of authentic stardom. He carries himself with an air of superiority. In fact, he has already informed Chavez that he thinks his opponent will crack under the psychological pressure of the big occasion. As far as Morales is concerned, he has never been beaten. He will never believe that Marco Antonio Barrera deserved the decision over him in their rematch in June 2002 at the MGM Grand although in a way it was Fate dealing out tit for tat, because most people thought Barrera had beaten Morales in their initial meeting in February 2000. (As it happened, I thought, from ringside, that Barrera won both fights.)

With Barrera so thoroughly vanquished by Manny Pacquiao that he is unlikely ever to be the same fighter, Morales is now the numero uno south of the border and also deemed one of the world’s best at any weight. If Morales wins, there are exciting fights that can be made. Fighters such as Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, the winner of the Diego Corrales-Joel Casamayor rematch, perhaps Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, all come to mind immediately in the feather/super feather categories.

Chavez does not have the same drawing power. Although he was born in Chihuahua he is a long-time U.S. resident while Morales’s roots are still firmly in the land of his ancestors. So Morales is not only the promotional favourite he will also have the bulk of support from the thousands of Mexican fans in the arena. But Richard Lord said: “Jesus has been an underdog all his life. He thrives on adversity.

“Morales has never fought anyone as strong as Jesus. Jesus ain’t got no fear. You saw the Pacquiao-Barrera fight? It’s pretty much the predecessor of how Jesus is gonna fight Morales. He’s gonna be very aggressive, set a high intensity level and just cut him down. We don’t think Morales will be able to hang.”

Morales, at 5ft 8ins, has almost a three-inch height advantage but Lord said: “Jesus has fought so many guys who were taller and rangier and used that outside-boxing style, like the Thai guy, Carlos Gerena, Wilfredo Negron. We’re not awed by Morales. Jesus will show him some respect — but not much. When they stand next to each other Morales ain’t that much taller, anyway.

“Jesus has got a great chin. Mayweather hit him with his best shots and never hurt him; he was never fazed. And I guarantee Morales ain’t nothin’ like Mayweather, not in the same class. “And Jesus is gonna be a whole lot better than when he fought Mayweather.”

For that fight, Chavez trained in Houston, Texas, with Ronnie Shields, and Lord believes that being away from his familiar environment was detrimental to Chavez. “Even so, he performed admirably on sheer guts,” Lord said. “He’s been training with me ever since.”

Morales is perceived as the puncher in the fight, for good reason. He has blasted 34 opponents in a record of 45-1, and judging by the Espadas blowout he has carried his right-hand hitting power up in weight with him. Chavez is more of a high-volume, wear-you-down type of puncher. But Lord says that Morales will not be given the chance to line Chavez up for big rights.

“Jesus will use his jab — he’ll be throwing so many jabs and just constantly pressuring Morales,” he said. “I think if he’s constantly pressuring Morales he’s gonna keep him off balance and he’s not gonna be able to set that right hand up. Morales does have a good right hand but he has to get set to throw it. Jesus has fought a lot more guys like Morales than Morales has fought guys like Jesus.”

Morales, though, has had a higher-profile career and has been in bigger fights, notably the two with Barrera but also wins by decision over Paulie Ayala, Injin Chi and Wayne McCullough and knockouts over Kevin Kelley, Poison Junior Jones and Daniel Zaragoza.

Chavez, 31, has stopped 28 opponents in a record of 40 wins, two losses. He avenged an early-career loss when he overpowered the Puerto Rican Carlos Gerena in six rounds last March. Up to the fight with Sirimongkol his best wins included stoppages over former featherweight champs Troy Dorsey and Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson and an eight-round unanimous technical decision over former World Boxing Association super bantam champ, Louie Espinoza (who was cut in a clash of heads, with Chavez in front on the scorecards). All had seen better days; it was Espinoza’s last fight. But back in 1996, Chavez won a unanimous 12-round decision over Mexico’s tough and dangerous Javier Jauregui, who now holds the IBF lightweight title.

Most of Chavez’s opponents have simply been overwhelmed, either getting worn down inside the distance or being outworked, outhustled, outlasted and widely outpointed. Sirimongkol looked a dangerous opponent on paper but Chavez dominated. Lord said: “From what tape we had seen, the guy can’t fight well going backwards and he doesn’t fight well under pressure. Jesus controlled the pace of the fight.” Chavez will be looking to do the same against Morales.

“Jesus doesn’t back up,” Lord said. “He’ll be putting pressure on him from the get-go, cutting the ring off, that’s what we’re working on with sparring partners who are 15lbs heavier and taller and lankier than he is, tough local guys who go two rounds each, fresh every time.

“He’ll be more aggressive than he was against the Thai guy, and he was pretty damn aggressive then. I don’t think Morales will be able to handle it. Jesus is a very strong 130-pounder. Morales is gonna feel the body shots. Jesus will wear him down and stop him in the later rounds. Jesus doesn’t make predictions but he’s told me he’s gonna beat up Morales worse than Pacquiao beat up Barrera.

“Jesus feels that Top Rank is not behind him [in this fight]. They’ve got a winner regardless of what happens but he feels like they’re definitely catering this fight to Morales and by putting him in with Morales in his first defence they’re not giving him any breaks. He feels like they’re using him as a stepping stone — and he’s not going to accommodate that.”

But while Chavez has the conditioning and inherent toughness to give Morales all the trouble he can handle, I do not think an upset is likely. Yes, Chavez will bring the fight to Morales and try to back up his opponent and bang the body. But Morales isn’t the type to wilt mentally the way Sirimongkol seemed to do. Morales is likely to meet Chavez with stiff jabs, right hands and uppercuts.

The biggest factor could be how well Chavez can take Morales’s shots. If Chavez can walk through Morales’s punches he can win. But if Morales’s blows start to take effect, the fight could swing clearly in El Terrible’s favour.

There are likely to be moments when Morales is backed up on the ropes and otherwise under pressure, but I think his better boxing skills and greater firepower will give him control of the bout by the seventh or eighth rounds.  I do not make this a formality for Morales, but I think he will be the winner although chances are he will have to go the full 12 rounds.

Additional Morales-Chavez preview coverage appears in the February issue