“Terrible” Morales Says Good Bye to Mexico City and heads to Monterrey!

After two months of training in the Otomi Mountains just south of Mexico City, three time world champion Erik “Terrible” Morales of Tijuana says he will be ready for Jose Alfaro on March 27th in Monterrey, MX, in his comeback fight after a two and a half year hiatus.

Morales finished off his intensive training this past Friday and offered a press conference.

“I feel pressure to be at my best at the time of the fight. I have the experience to handle a fighter, to know what to do inside the ring, I have the will to fight and that is why I lost the weight,” Morales stated. “I want to give a great performance.”

The Morales vs. Alfaro twelve round welterweight bout will be for the WBC International title.

“I would love to win by knockout but I am going to be at a different weight,” he shared. “After winning titles in super bantamweight, feather and super featherweight, I would love to win a fourth title.”

Add One More To The List!

Not only did Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KO) make his latest opponent Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20KO) look like a punching bag with arms -which were hardly used- last Saturday night but he also defended his WBO welterweight title for the first time. Along with the successful defense, Pacquiao’s popularity along with Top Rank’s Bob Arum’s promotional know-how stuffed over 50,000 fans into Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, for the first bout to be waged inside the what is soon to be declared as one of the eight wonders of the world.

But Pacquiao did much more than that. He set unofficial records for the largest entourage seen since the G.O.A.T. Muhammad Ali last fought, reportedly at 140 followers strong and his dog, “Pacman”. Pacquiao’s entourage was so large that he had to charter his own private yet to fly them from Los Angeles.

“Canelo” Alvarez Doesn’t Think of Chavez Jr.!

Up and coming Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who is coming off a win last weekend over Brian Camechis, stated that he has not interest in facing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. inside a ring.

“No, I am not interested bucause I am going for bigger fights, bigger names,” he stated to Record.com.mx. “I am an important stage in my career and I want to fight good fighters, fighters with a name. I want Pacquiao early next year or at the end of this one, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. doesn’t cross my mind.”

Alvarez also stated that he doesn’t see himself fighting in Mexico any time soon since he just signed a contract with Golden Boy Promotions for three fights in the U.S.

“I don’t think it will happen this year because I have three fights signed with Oscar De La Hoya,” said the native of Guadalajara, MX. “They are supposed to be big fights but there is still the possibility in fighting in Mexico.”

WBC’s Jose Sulaiman: “Soto Can Prove to the World What he is Worth!”

According to the executive director of the World Boxing Council, Jose Sulaiman, Humberto “Zorrita” Soto of Los Mochis, MX, can only prove to the world this Saturday night that he is one of the best fighters in the world as he faces former world champion David Diaz for the vacant WBC lightwight title.

“Humberto is the most underrated fighter we have in Mexico,” Sulaiman stated about the man who is on the threshold of earning his third title in as many divisions. “He is a great fighter who gets very little publicty despite having all the tools, he boxes, he hits hard and he can take a punch.”

Sulaiman did hesitate to share how important this bout could be the for the current WBC super featherweight champion.

“This is a very important fight for Humberto,” Sulaiman said. “This is a great opportunity for him to show the world what he can do. I think it is plenty because David Diaz is a brave man, both are. The winner will be the absolute lightweight champion.”

Montiel Threatens To Pull Out!

Current WBO bantamweight champion has threatened not to travel to Japan for his April 30th face off against WBC champion Hozumi Hasegawa unless the purse offered is to his satisfaction.

“I am not going to fight for hard tortillas,” Montiel says using a Mexican phrase to express his disgust. “I am not going to let anybody take advantage of me.”

Although it was rumored that Montiel had signed the contract and was ready to travel to the land of the rising sun to challenge for the WBC title, Montiel stated that he is very upset at the money offered and has not officially agreed to the bout.

“I come from a boxing family, my family has been involved in boxing for decades and we know what the purse should be for fighting in Mexico, United States and Japan,” Montiel continued. “I am not pulling out, I just want to be paid what is fair.”

Should We Be Excited Over Pacquiao-Clottey?

With the super fight between Filipino comet Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38KO) and Ghana tough guy Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20KO) looming on the horizon on March 13th, why aren’t I more excited? Surely Clottey, who has only been defeated twice and disqualified once, is a more than a formidable foe. Besides his disqulification in ‘99 for a low blow in bout versus former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir, Clottey has only lost very close decisions to two other former champions, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

Is my lack of enthusiasm a symptom of thinking the winner of the bout is a foregone conclusion?

I don’t think so. If anything, I think Clottey is a very tough opponent who has not really displayed a sure strategy to beat him. A strong natural welterweight with a concrete chin, I have often said when asked that he might be a more difficult out for Pacquiao that Cotto was.

Vazquez at Full Throttle!

Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez will always be remembered for the exceptional trilogy that he fought against Rafael Marquez. Despite the physical ailments that he suffered due to the battles he subjected himself to in the three fights, including an almost career ending eye injury, Vazquez insists that he still has much to say inside a ring.

After this third war against Marquez in March of ‘08 and knocking out Angel Priolo last October in the featherweight division, Vazquez is now training for the fourth installment of his battle against Vazquez on May 22nd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“I feel that I can give more than I have shown, that is why I accepted the fourth fight against Marquez,” Vazquez recently stated. “If one is not willing to take the risk, one will never know what one could have accomplished. The fans asked for the fourth fight.”

“Canelo” To Help “Sugar!”

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez might face Shane Mosley… but as a sparring partner.

Alvarez of Jalisco will have the opportunity to measure up against the veteran Mosley as “Sugar” Shane prepares for his upcoming mega bout versus undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.

On the same night, the unbeaten Alvarez (30-0-1, 22KO) will be making his debut under the Golden Boy Promotions banner versus the always dangerous TBD.

“We have talked with the people at Golden Boy and since Mosley (46-5, 39KO) is a partner at Golden Boy, they mentioned that it would be a good idea for us to go to Big Bear, where Mosley trains, and work out with him,” Jose “Chepo” Reyes, Alvarez’s manager stated. “It will be interesting for us because we can see how Alvarez measures up against a fighter of the caliber of Mosley.”

Alvarez is scheduled for March 6th in Tuxtla Gutierrez, MX, versus Brian Camechis (19-2, 8KO).

Margarito Still Without License, Blames De La Hoya!

Despite complying with his one year ban by the California State Athletic Commission for using illegal hand wraps in his bout last year with “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Tijuana’s Antonio Margarito continues with out a license to resume his boxing career.

Margarito blames Oscar De La Hoya.

In an interview granted to ESPN Radio’s “A Los Golpes” and Notifight.com, the “Tijuana Tornado” accused De La Hoya of “sticking his nose” and stated:

“Many people have asked me why I think he is saying that I shouldn’t be given my license, how does it affect him?” Margarito asks. “If I was suspended in California, why is he sending letters to others states asking them not to grant me a license? Besides, I complied with the year that they asked for. Now I don’t know what they want. Now it is their turn to comply. This is my job and I need to climb into the ring and not be inactive.”

Alex Munoz Hangs up the Gloves!

The former two time WBA super flyweight champion Alex Munoz of Venezuela has stated that he is retiring from the sport.

Munoz scored two consecutive wins after losing his WBA title against Cristian Mijares. Despite the wins, he stated that he is ready to leave the ring.

“The time has come to say good bye and start a page. I believe in going backwards. I have made my decision and I would like to thank all those who helped me in my career,” the former fighter stated. “I had a bout scheduled against Lorenzo Parra but I’d rather go in another direction. My moment has passed and it is time to pass the torch.”

Munoz retires with a record of 34 wins, 27 of them by KO against thee defeats and no draws. The highlight of his career is when he defeated Celes Kobayashi in eight rounds and captured his first world title.

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