Chavez enjoys underdog role in upcoming bout with Morales

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

The promotional company that helped Jesus Chavez become a world champion is the same promotional company that may cause his reign to be a brief one.

Aligned with Top Rank since emerging as a junior lightweight contender, Chavez won the World Boxing Council championship at 130 pounds in his second shot at the title when he defeated Thailand's Sirimongkol Singmanassak in August. But for his first defense Chavez will be matched with a bigger star from the Top Rank stable when he faces Erik Morales Feb. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"I'm coming in as the champion but I still feel like the challenger," Chavez admitted Monday as he and Morales took part in a press conference at the host site. "But I kind of like that."

Chavez, 31, is 40-2 with 28 knockouts.

Morales, 27, is 45-1 with 34 KOs and is giving up his WBC featherweight title to move up a division and challenge Chavez.

"It's an interesting fight for me," Morales said through an interpreter. "I think it's going to be a difficult fight with a lot of emotions. But it's the right moment for me to go to another level."

The fact that both Chavez and Morales fight for Top Rank allowed the deal to be made with a minimum of discussion.

"We have so many fighters in those (lighter) weight classes that we're able to manipulate some things and get some fights made," promoter Bob Arum admitted. "At this stage of his career, Jesus wants to reach for the brass ring and we can afford him that opportunity by getting him a fight with Morales."

Morales gets $1 million for the bout and Chavez will receive $600,000. Tickets, priced from $50 to $300, are on sale. HBO will televise.

Spectators are all but assured of a busy fight between two soft-spoken heavy hitters.

"Everyone's vulnerable," Chavez said of facing a man who is regarded as a superstar. "I'm sure as hell going to try and beat him."

He's in a position to do so not only because of his link to Top Rank and his fighting abilities, but because he has overcome a past that included at least two major setbacks. As a teen living in Chicago, Chavez drove the getaway car in a convenience store robbery that not only netted him a term in juvenile prison but led to him being deported to his native Mexico.

"It's been a hard road to get where I'm at today," he said of his past.

In the ring, Chavez has few equals and gave Floyd Mayweather Jr. a competitive fight before being stopped in the ninth round in his earlier title try, Nov. 10, 2001, in San Francisco. Chavez moved back into the WBC's No. 1 contender's position with four wins and was matched with Singmanassak in a bout held in Chavez's hometown of Austin, Texas.

"He wasn't expected to beat Mayweather, but we told him we'd stick with him and we came through for him," Arum said. "We lost some money (on the fight in Austin) because we paid the Thai fighter to come to America, and it takes a big company to be able to do that.

"When he won the championship (by decision), it made the investment worthwhile."

Chavez realizes his association with Top Rank has been mutually beneficial.

"An integral part of a boxer's career is to have a good promoter in his corner," he said. "You need that to get recognition and the perfect fights.

"I'm very comfortable with Top Rank -- they've done a good job for me and I've done well for them, too."

His reward: A fight with a budding legend.

But Chavez can be heartened by what happened Nov. 15 in San Antonio when another Mexican legend, Marco Antonio Barrera, was soundly beaten by Manny Pacquiao in a fight that was stopped in the 11th round. Barrera and Morales split a pair of earlier fights and were regarded as arch rivals.

"It could happen (again)," Chavez said. "I've had tough fights but I've conserved myself, and Erik has had a lot of tough fights. I may have the advantage in that regard."

Arum knows Chavez vs. Morales will be compared to Pacquiao vs. Barrera, but he feels Morales is still in his prime.

"There are parallels and comparisons that can be made, but those who saw Morales' performance against Guty Espadas (Oct. 4 in Los Angeles) know how good he looked and how convincing a knockout he delivered," Arum said. "Espadas took it at Morales just as Pacquiao took it to Barrera, but Morales withstood it and won."

Morales, who stopped Espadas in the third round of that fight, said Barrera was to blame for the loss to Pacquiao and that he's not unduly affected by it.

"I don't care about Barrera," he said. "He wasn't the same (vs. Pacquiao) as he was when he fought me. He didn't put 100 percent of himself into it; he never fought with passion."

Morales came through his fight with Espadas in good physical condition and said the quick turn around wouldn't be a problem for him. Likewise, Chavez says he's healthy even though he was forced to cancel a scheduled fight with Justin Juuko due to a shoulder injury suffered in training.

"Everything's OK now," he said. "It better be. I'm fighting one of the best fighters there is and I have to beat him to prove I belong with the great fighters of the era."