I was watching Barrera-Morales I the other day (for about the 100th time), and in-between rounds they show Hamed's brother sitting in the stands. The HBO crew commented that he was there scouting Barrera and Morales, because Naz wanted to fight the winner at 126 pounds.

Morales of course won the fight (the Fight of the Decade in my opinion) on a controversial decision. Many people thought Barrera deserved the win, although I've always felt the decision was correct and that Erik had earned the victory. (I thought Erik also won the 2nd fight with Barrera but that's besides the point).

So my question is... if Hamed wanted the winner, why did he fight Barrera instead of Morales??

1. Did he think that Barrera really won the fight, and therefore thought he deserved the shot? (I don't think this answer is the one.)

2. Did he think Morales was more dangerous than Barrera, and therefore chose the opponent who he thought would be easier to face? (More likely.)

3. Did he try to fight Morales, but a deal couldn't be worked out?

Does anyone know?