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Erik "El Terrible" Morales (48-4, 34 KOs) is known worldwide to all fans who love the sport of boxing. He has won world titles in three different weight divisions and has been involved in many classic ring wars in becoming one of boxing's biggest superstars. What many fans do not know is the Erik Morales outside the ropes. Erik is a very down-to-earth person. No large entourages or heavy security follow him around and he is very accessible to the public in his hometown of Tijuana. As I saw in person, Morales always takes the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with all who ask. On Monday, Erik spoke with Fightnews.com about fighters that he is promoting, his last fight with Manny Pacquiao, and what fans can expect in the third fight between he and Pacman.
Erik, I´m not going to begin with asking you the same old questions that you´ve been asked over and over again since it was announced that you and Manny Pacquaio would have a third fight. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy these days?
I´ve been spending a lot quality time with my family as well as promoting.
Who are some of the fighters you have been promoting?
WBA bantamweight women's champion and WBC super bantamweight women's champion Jackie Nava, NABF bantamweight champion Alex Valdez and Alberto Rosas (24-0, 21 KOs) who is ranked fifth in the world by the WBC at flyweight.
I understand Jackie Nava won "Fighter of the Year" in Tijuana. First woman do ever do so. How did that make you feel as a manager?
That was a very proud moment for me. Jackie is a very hard worker and trains extremely hard. She deserved the award.
Do you feel that you have been pretty successful as a promoter?
In terms of getting my fighters the necessary publicity and fight opportunities it has been very successful and that is my goal. I´m not doing this for the money at all. I´m doing this for the love of the sport and helping my fellow countryman become successful.
You were recently honored in your hometown of Tijuana where you received a career recognition award. There was an amateur tournament held in your honor. How did receiving that award compare to other awards you received in your career?
The way the crowd applauded me and cheered my name and all the love I received from the many people that were present was unbelievable. There were many of the same people who were there supporting me from the very beginning. No award I´ve ever received was as gratifying as this one.
Let´s talk about your last fight with Pacquiao. People only remember the last round of that fight, but forget that you beat him unanimously in your first encounter and you were winning midway through the first half of the rematch. Why do you think that is?
That´s just how it is. The public expects big things from me and I have no problem giving that to them. After my loss to Marco Antonio Barrerra in our third fight, many people did not give me a chance in my next fight against Pacquiao but I proved the critics wrong.
Does it seem like expectations are higher for you than let's say, for example Marco Antonio Barrera, as far as opponent selection? Barrera, for instance, was able to fight Mzonke Fana on pay-per-view (a mandatory defense) but I´m thinking we wouldn´t see you doing a PPV fight like that. Also, is it unreasonable for people to equate your loss to Pacquiao with Barrera´s loss?
Again, the expectations for Erik Morales are very high and I don´t mind living up to those expectations. As far as the comparisons of my loss to Pacquiao and Barrera´s loss, I for one defeated Pacquiao unanimously the first time and was doing well early on in the fight that I lost. Barrera was never in the fight with Pacquiao. He was completely dominated.
Anything in closing you would like to tell all your fans out there?
I am not looking to fight any tuneup fights and am only waiting on Top Rank to give me an exact date on when Pacquiao and I will fight. I will be well prepared and fans can expect for this to be a very spectacular fight.
