Morales picked to take Espadas’ belt

Dean Juipe

Friday, Feb. 16, 2001 | 10:46 a.m.

Three weeks ago in Tijuana, Erik Morales lent his car to Guty Espadas.

Saturday night at the MGM, Morales hopes Espadas will at least figuratively return the favor. He wants the World Boxing Council featherweight champion's belt.

"He's a good guy," Espadas said Thursday, referring to Morales. "He gave me the keys to his car and said 'Go and get whatever you need.' "

The incident took place following a press conference in Morales' home town, and came about when Espadas needed to run some errands but was without transportation.

Morales came to the rescue back then.

Now he's coming to beat the tar out of his Mexican countryman.

"He's a great boxer and one of the best fighters in the world," Espadas said of the man who is after his WBC championship -- and is favored to get it when they meet in a 4,100-seat hall within the MGM Grand.

Bettors in the MGM sports book have been loading up on Morales in recent days and their influx of one-sided money has altered the line once again. As it currently stands, Morales is a solid favorite at a minus 900, with Espadas a plus 600.

Rarely is a reigning champion such a significant underdog.

"I'm going to answer all the questions on Saturday," Espadas said in response to being slighted by the bettors. "That's the people's choice. They can put their money on whoever they want."

If Espadas is nearing the end of his title reign, it was a brief one.

Just last April he ascended to the throne, defeating Luisito Espinosa in a fight for a title that came vacant when Naseem Hamed relinquished his belt. Espadas has since defended the title once, outlasting the syllable-laden Kumanpetch Kiatvoraphong in June.

Yet making it to the top was rewarding enough for Espadas, who is the rare fighter to admit he didn't anticipate becoming a world champion.

"I never imagined I'd end up here," he said through an interpreter. "I box because I love the sport. I don't do it for the money."

He's getting $200,000 for this fight, while the better-known Morales is slated to receive $400,000.

Espadas, 26, is 33-2 with 21 knockouts.

Morales, 24, is 39-0 with 31 KOs and is a former WBC super bantamweight champion.

"He goes out so aggressive," Espadas said of Morales' style. "He tries to overpower everyone."

Whether Espadas can withstand the heat remain to be seen. But he comes from the right gene pool, as his father -- also named Guty -- was the World Boxing Association flyweight champion during 1976-78.

"He didn't want me to be a boxer," Espadas said. But, at the same time, "We talked boxing at breakfast, at lunch, every time we sat down for a meal we talked about boxing."

Following in his father's footsteps wasn't easy.

"There was a lot of pressure on me," Espadas said. "It was a lot to live up to."

Five years ago it didn't appear as if Espadas the Younger would ever win a world title, as losses to Daryl Pickney and Jesus Salud had his career spiralling downward.

"I gave myself two years (at the time), if nothing happened, that would have been it," Espadas said of getting out of the sport if his luck -- and skills -- didn't improve.

He hasn't lost since and he was signed to a promotional agreement with Top Rank that helped him land the title fight with Espinosa when the WBC championship was vacant. Credit Top Rank promoter Bob Arum with orchestrating a scenario in which he has a favored son (Morales) stepping up in weight (and, perhaps, public appeal) at the expense of an agreeable stablemate.

Espadas vs. Morales tops a five-fight card that opens at 7 p.m. Also scheduled: James Page, 25-3, vs. Andrew Lewis, 19-0-1, for the vacant WBA welterweight title; Roger Flores, 11-15-2, vs. Larry Mosley, 5-0, six rounds, welterweights; Ivan Calderon, pro debut, vs. Sergio Diaz, pro debut, four rounds, flyweights; and Liborio Romero, pro debut, vs. Iran Ethridge, 0-1, four rounds, flyweights. Of note: Romero (Mexico) and Calderon (Puerto Rico) appeared in the 2000 Olympics; Page and Lewis will each receive $201,250 for a fight that initially had been scheduled for last August.

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