Erik Morales, nearly going down in the opening round, quickly applied punishing pressure to floor Jesus Chavez twice in the second round en route to taking his WBC super featherweight crown Saturday on a unanimous 12-round decision that solidified his stature as a Mexican boxing legend.

Morales, 27, lauded as “El Terrible’ in his native Tijuana, expanded his stature by now winning a world championship in three weight divisions, enabling him to join Julio Cesar Chavez as Mexico’s only super stars to achieve this imposing feat.

There were 8,100 fight buffs rocking the MGM Grand
Garden in Las Vegas from start to finish as Morales, now 46-1, 34 KOs, lived up being a 3-1 favorite. However, it was more than a walk in the park against the courageous Chavez, 31, born in Parral, Chihuahua but now living in Austin, TX.

After buckling Morales’ knees with a solid right late in round one, Chavez himself was on the canvas twice in the next round as the former scored big time with right uppercuts.

Chavez’s iron-jaw reputation was legit and he had a heart to match, but after hitting Morales with a sharp body shot in the third round, the impact reportedly dislocated his right shoulder and made it impossible for the defending champion to fire that right hand which was usually the payoff shot accounting for 28 knockouts on his resume that now reads 40-3.

Any adversary facing the versatile Morales better have two hands ready for action. From the third round, Chavez, a solid 10-year pro, was strictly a fighter with a left jab and an offense that was reduced nearly 70 percent. Even with his deep courage, Chavez, as a one- handed fighter, was looking down nine miles of bad road. Morales would later report both hands were bruised along the way to that coveted third title and he punched with caution in dominating the action until the final bell.

Chavez was not available for the post-fight media recap but he got word back that his right shoulder came out of a combination as a painful problem.

“I know I pulled something in my shoulder when I caught Morales with a big right to the body. It hurt me enough that I rarely threw another right. That injury was the difference in the outcome, If it didn’t happen, I feel certain I would have knocked out Morales. When this shoulder gets well, I hope they will give me a rematch,” said Chavez, who lost the crown he won last Aug.15 on a 12-round decision over Thailand’s Sirimongkol Singmanassak.

Referee Vic Drakulich’s work wasn’t complicated. Even when the action along the ropes went into the corners, there was never a problem about the fighters breaking clean, just another illustration of the respect
Morales and Chavez had for each other.

In the judges’ official scoring, Burt Clements saw it
118-108; Daniel Van De Weile 117-109, and John Keane, 115-112. This observer’s tab was 117-109 for the winner.

When Morales was announced as the obvious winner, Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr., was in the ring to wrap the WBC super featherweight belt around the new champion’s waist. It was the hat trick for Morales, having previously reigned twice as the WBC featherweight king and WBC super bantamweight ruler. Morales is now 17-1 in world title fights.

Chavez, no relation to the dethroned Jesus, had credentials of 104-5-2, 85 KOs, winning the WBC super featherweight diadem in 1984, plus the WBA 135 pound belt in 1987 and the WBC version in 1988. Pappa Chavez won he WBC super lightweight title twice in 1988 and 1994.The great run over 21 years was capped when the incomparable Latino captured the IBF junior welterweight crown in 1990.

Morales admitted he was surprised when Chavez the legend from Culiacan, Mx., was in the ring after the fight “to give me the belt.

“It was a pleasure to be here tonight and with Julio Cesar, the people were seeing the greatest fighter to ever come out of Mexico. People enjoy a great fight and they got one because we did the only thing we could do. I guess was a little overconfident in the first round. The punch was to the top of the head but I wasn’t hurt, coming back to take charge,” Morales reflected.

“I didn’t see anything in the third round to notice Chavez was hurt. My corner didn’t want me to stop in front of him. Any way felt I was fighting better at a distance. Jesus Chavez showed a lot of heart, never stopped. Even though he surprised me in the first round with that right, I had great conditioning to overcome it. We all know Julio Cesar is a super legend, but it is hard to realize I have achieved what he has done.”

There was a touch of nostalgia when HBO kicked off its four-bout TV segment when Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., made his Las Vegas debut with his legendary father working the corner.

The 18-year-old Chavez, 136, improved his record to 5-0, 1 KO with a close four-round decision over Oisin Fagan,136, Dublin, Ire. The taller youngster scored the only knockdown in the third round.

COTTO SENSATIONAL STOPPING RUGGED SOSA

Miguel Cotto, 140, Cagas, P. R., turned in the most impressive victory of his career in the semi-
final, TKO’ing tough Victoriano Sosa, 139.5, Santiago, D.R., at 2:51 of the fourth round in a scheduled 12-rounder for the WBC International super lightweight championship.

Cotto,23. making the fifth defense of the title he won from Cesar Bazan on Feb.1,2003, earned his largest purse at $200,000 while raising his resume to 19-0, 16 KOs.

No question Sosa came to fight, losing in his third title bid with the last coming Apr.19, 2003 when he lost a 12-round decision to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in
Fresno, Ca.

Cotto has bombs in both fists, showing mean left hooks and right uppercuts. When Sosa eagerly tried to back him up, the aggressive Puerto Rican star put him on the canvas three times in the fourth round with combinations. That was enough for referee Kenny Bayless who wisely halted the rout with the game Sosa bleeding from the mouth.

“Sosa was tough but he never hurt me although once he knocked me off balance. I was able to get my bearings back and control the action.

“Sosa is a very tough fighter and punches with good shots. I’d say he is absolutely the best fighter I have met. I don’t care who I fight in the future, whoever my trainer tells me to fight. And with my condition and training that’s fine with me. I hope to fight for somebody’s world title this summer, maybe in Puerto Rico.”

Sosa, earning $50,000 as his ledger dipped to 36-4-2, 29 KOs, had nothing but deep respect for Cotto. “Other than Oscar De La Hoya, Cotto could prove to be Top Rank’s top attraction. He has a rock chin and terrific punching power. I don’t have any doubt he will prove to be a great world champion in the future.”

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist headquartered in Las Vegas and a regular contributor to Ringsports.com.)