Popular Morales set for test from Chavez

Dean Juipe

Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 10:12 a.m.

They're the gladiators of the sport, the guys who refuse to quit and will only lose "if they're carried out on their shield."

They're tough, they're proud and -- at the risk of painting too broad a stroke -- they're Hispanic or Mexican.

They're the backbone of boxing and the only men some fans are willing to pay to see.

And the best of those Mexican-bred fighters still active today is now 10 full years into his professional career as he enters the ring Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in pursuit of his third world championship. But will Erik Morales know when it's time to go, or will he follow a path so rigorously worn by predecessors such as Julio Cesar Chavez, who stayed and absorbed beatings in fights when they should have been home enjoying retirement?

"He better have trained and trained righteously, or he's really going to regret it," said Morales' upcoming opponent, World Boxing Council junior lightweight champion Jesus Chavez of Austin, Texas.

"I know he thinks he's superior to everyone else, but I wish him luck," Chavez continued Thursday. "He should know at this level the type of fighter he's going to face."

By all accounts Morales has taken a casual approach to this fight, which prompted Chavez to issue his warning.

"I've known for a while that I would be fighting Erik Morales and I'm prepared for it," he said. "I'm not going to duck anybody. And the timing ... fighting Morales now, at this stage of his career ... is fine.

"It's better fighting him right now."

Chavez, 31, is 40-2 with 28 knockouts and a world champion, but he's a plus 260 underdog in the MGM sports book.

Morales, only 27 despite his long service and many wars, is 45-1 with 34 KOs and a minus 320 betting favorite.

They're scheduled for 12 rounds at 130 pounds in a pay-per-view fight presented by HBO.

"It's very exciting for me and I know what I'm facing," Chavez said. "I have to beat the favorite, beat the odds."

He's getting $600,000 to try, while Morales is receiving approximately $1 million.

Morales, of course, is the most recent in a long line of Mexican superstars that includes Marco Antonio Barrera and, immediately before him, Julio Cesar Chavez. But the latter stayed too long in the demanding sport and maybe Barrera -- who lost his most recent fight -- is, too.

Which brings up the possibility that Morales may suffer the same indignity.

"That's true, but for all we know he's peaking right now," said promoter Bob Arum. "He looked good in his last fight (a third-round knockout of fellow Mexican Guty Espadas), but maybe it was Espadas who was the one on the decline."

Arum has seen Morales up close and throughout his client's career, which includes victories against a succession of good to great fighters and earlier world championships at 122 and 126 pounds.

He knows why Morales is popular and he knows the value of having fighters who refuse to quit.

"The good Mexican fighters have a definite style," he said. "They're constantly moving forward and constantly bringing the action.

"They're willing to be hit in order to get their own punches in.

"They prefer to fight that way and the crowd they cater to wants them to fight that way.

"The tradeoff, of course, is that it frequently leads to a shorter career."

Arum said it's a positive for Morales that he has continually moved up a division as he gained weight, and he believes Morales will eventually be fighting at 135 pounds.

"I think it's helped him, just as it helped Alexis Arguello," Arum said. "At least for the next year or two, Erik ought to be comfortable at 130 and then he can go to lightweight."

But what if Morales loses to Chavez? Or loses soon thereafter?

"I know if he loses here, it's not going to stop him," Arum said. "He's already said if he loses, he'll go after another champion."

Here is the undercard bout sheet for Saturday's show at the MGM: Miguel Cotto, 18-0, vs. Victoriano Sosa, 36-3-2, 12 rounds, junior welterweights; Anthony Thompson, 14-0, vs. Grady Brewer, 15-8, eight rounds, junior middleweights; Alvaro Aguilar, 16-0, vs. Emanuel Augustus, 27-23-5, eight rounds, junior welterweights; Arturo Quintero, 9-0, vs. Adam Gonzalez, 10-9, six rounds, junior lightweights; Nelson Estupinan, 6-0, vs. Henry Humphrey, 7-1-1, six rounds, welterweights; Wes Ferguson, 2-0, vs. Felix Malespin, 3-1, four rounds, lightweights; and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., 4-0, vs. Oisin Fagan, 4-1, four rounds, lightweights.