MORALES HAS NEW GOAL FOR ICONS IN VEGAS WIN

Erik Morales, an incomparable collector of boxing crowns, fashioned another first when he classically added pressuring Carlos Hernandez’s IBF title while defending his WBC super featherweight laurels on a unanimous 12-round unification decision Saturday at the MGM Grand Gardens in Las Vegas.

For Morales, 27, out of Tijuana, MX. he thrilled 8,611 exuberant patrons with a career spectacular in a near-shutout that gave him two championships in the same division for a first to go along with former reigns as WBC featherweight king twice and a solo as WBC super bantamweight ruler in a saga that began in 1997.

In the pre-fight hype, Hernandez, 33, of Bellflower, Calif., declared he would smother Morales’s superior boxing skills “by jumping in his face every minute of every round.” The engaging native, who became the first world champion out of his native El Salvador, kept his word every step of the way but paid a high price.

Morales, enhancing his image as one of the game’s premier pound-for-pound performers, would have preferred to dominate the action working from the outside with that painful jab but when the unorthodox Hernandez forced the issue, Morales was there with the ammunition, raking the other champion with three and four-punch combinations to the head and body.

It’s not an exaggeration to say every round looked like a rerun of the previous three-minutes as Morales and Hernandez went to war toe-to-toe on the ropes, in the ropes, in and out of the corners, and at mid-ring with the kind of action that had the frenzied house on its feet more than sitting to vocally applaud its’ heroes.

There were some rounds tough to score but the judges were on their mettle and never lost sight that for the most part, Morales was the pitcher and Hernandez the catcher and perhaps like the public, they may been surprised there were no knockdowns. Judges Jerry Roth and Steve Epstein both had it 119-109 while Nobuakoi Uratani saw it 115-113, all for Morales.

Hernandez lived up to his reputation as an ever-charging fighter who can throw a barrel of punches with minimum direction and it kept Morales’ fluid defense exceptionally sharp knocking down leather before he countered like in the first round when Hernandez landed two rights after the bell

Late in the second round, Morales caught his target with a four-punch combo and brought the crowd to its feet with a six-punch salvo. Referee Vic Drakulich warned the IBF champion for hitting on the break in the fourth round but no friction developed. The principals could have fought in a phone booth in the sixth, both scoring well with combinations.

Morales knocked Hernandez off balance in the ninth round and was accurate with multi-combinations.

Hernandez tried to bull Morales into his own corner to open the 10th round, but the Tijuana marauder stayed cool and didn’t let Hernandez get away as he landed double combinations to the head and body.

Hernandez knew he needed a knockout, he wasn’t going to get in the 12th round but he never stopped throwing and Morales was scoring points as the pair spent the final 90 seconds at mid-ring unleashing their final energies in what was bedlam at the bell.

In the post-fight ceremony, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was smiling like a grade schooler who had just got an A on his report card.

“There are still some big fights around the country to come, but after the way Morales and Hernandez fought, I don’t think there is any doubt that what we saw here tonight at the MGM is a strong candidate for Fight of The Year. I don’t know what Erik wants to do with the IBF crown, but if he wants to keep it, his mandatory would be against Australia’s Robbie Peden, who fought tonight and is the IBF No.1 contender. With this great victory Morales would be heir-apparent at Top Rank to Oscar De La Hoya
---if he retires.”

Morales has often said he “fights for the people and doesn’t think too much about the best pound-for-pound recognition, but without debate, Arum feels Mexico’s icon must be ranked alongside De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins as the best fighters in the world.

Morales, who earned $1 million improving his resume to 47-1, 34 KOs, isn’t sure how he rates this classy victory over Hernandez, who collected $650,000 as his credentials dip to 40-4-1, 24 K0s.

“I’m happy this was a fight the people enjoyed and that’s what I care about. But I don’t think it was my best performance. I don’t worry about pound-for-pound.

That’s for guys who are worried about themselves and care about themselves. I don’t think that way because I fight for the people. I thank Carlos, he might be sentimental outside the ring, but he’s a tough great fighter. We fought on the inside more than usual rather than boxing on the outside.”

Hernandez, attending the post-fight recap with his wife, Veronica, who also serves as manager, cried briefly from the podium.
“ I’m disappointed but I want to congratulate everyone. I gave more than I thought I could. I hope you writers understand. I fought with my heart and I’m happy I gave my best. Erik Morales is a great fighter, a great champion. I didn’t go down but fighting with all my heart wasn’t enough. I have to give Morales all the credit in the world, “Hernandez reflected.

“Erik has a great jab It was a whole lot better than I thought. I kept thinking if I can land that one big shot That would turn the fight around. I know I was stronger then Morales.I don’t know if there were some people thinking I might come to Vegas and lay down and Erik would walk all over me, but that didn’t happen, did it?”

Hernandez originally won the IBF junior lightweight world title Feb.1, 2003 in Las Vegas over David Santos on an eight-round technical decision. Santos was knocked down in the fourth round, suffering a cut on the nose. In a clash of heads in the eighth round, Santos suffered a vertical cut over his right eye and could not continue. When they went to the scorecards, Hernandez won the crown on scores of 78-73.77-74. and 77-74.

Morales will take a break and then start thinking about his next defense with the purse value in seven figures. Nothing is definite but Arum has come up with a ‘Big Three’ mix which might include undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and/or
Marcos Antonio Barrera. Whoever gets the nod, they will have a lot to live up to if they have seen Morales-Hernandez fight.

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist headquartered in Las Vegas and is a regular contributor to Ringsports.Com and other fine websites.)
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