Argentinian slugger Marcos Maidana is convinced Erik Morales won’t be able to take the pressure he’ll bring for their April 9 clash.
At yesterday’s press conference for Golden Boy’s “Action Heroes” HBO PPV, Maidana spoke of Morales as nothing more than a stepping stone at this stage of his legendary career. A pro since 1993, Morales has engaged in some of boxing’s most memorable clashes of the 21st century. After losing four straight from 2005-2007, El Terrible is on a three fight win streak since making a comeback last year.
“I’m proud to be here facing Erik Morales. Beating a legend like him would help me build myself up to where I want to be,” Maidana explained.
Because of his youth and power, many are favoring Maidana to become only the second man, the first being Manny Pacquiao, to stop Morales. Coming off an exciting WBA title loss to Amir Khan in December, Maidana disclosed that facing Morales was not a fight he was initially looking to rebound with.
“I have a lot of anger in me. I want to knock out my opponent,” he stated. “I don’t think he will be able to withstand my pressure. I didn’t ask for the fight, Morales did and I accepted.”
In 2007, Erik Morales attempted to win a world championship in his third weight class (lightweight) against a tough but limited David Diaz. Although many observers thought Morales did enough to win, the judges awarded the bout to Diaz with a close unanimous decision. Morales retired for three years, and now admits the driving force behind last year’s comeback is a burning desire for redemption.
“I’ve had a chance to rest and I’m ready to be a champion again,” Morales said. “Why shouldn’t I come back? I didn’t deserve to go out like I did. I have goals to reach. With hard work and dedication, I know I will reach them. I can’t think of anyone [in boxing] who is technically better than me.”
The undercard will feature Robert Guerrero vs. Michael Katsidis, and the return of former junior middleweight champion Winky Wright.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 