By James Slater – Due to the legal issues of original opponent Jorge Barrios, Mexican legend Erik Morales will face late replacement foe Francisco Lorenzo on Saturday night. The important fight for the 34-year-old will go out live on Showtime, as part of a TV doubleheader with the Jean Pascal-Bernard Hopkins light-heavyweight title clash.
“El Terrible,” 50-6(35), hopes for a big year in 2011, a year he feels will see him make Mexican boxing history by winning four world titles at different weights. Morales wants a piece of the lightweight crown, and he is ready, he says, to fight Juan Manuel Marquez or Humberto Soto to get it..
But first he must get past The Dominican Republic’s Lorenzo, 35-8(16).
Despite being 39-years-old and having those eight losses on his pro ledger, “El Ahogado” is a tough and tricky customer, who has never been stopped and who knows how to make things difficult for any opponent. Remember his June 2008 fight with Soto, for the interim WBC super-featherweight title? Despite being losing each round, Lorenzo was giving Soto fits with his awkward style, and he was also using his head for things other than thinking. Butts landed frequently (maybe deliberately) before the crafty veteran went down in the 4th-round twice. Lorenzo was clipped by an innocuous-looking shot to the back of the head after the second knockdown, and he convinced ref Joe Cortez to DQ Soto!
Fortunately, this ruling was ignored by the WBC, who chose not to award Martinez with the belt. But this fight goes to show how much of a handful Lorenzo can be. Will the 39-year-old give Morales serious problems – will the 5’5.5” fighter even try something similar to what he tried in the first Soto fight?
Lorenzo, who was soundly out-pointed over 12-rounds in a return with Soto in Dec. 2008, has won just two fights since then; both of them against guys with a losing record. In his most recent meaningful fight, Lorenzo was out-pointed over ten by Jorge Linares, in March of this year. This majority loss proved, though, that Lorenzo is as durable as ever. Morales will do very well to stop him on Saturday.
In fact, this one has “ugly fight” written all over it. Morales cannot afford any slip ups, and he has said himself he expects a difficult fight – against a fighter who has a “complicated style.”
Lorenzo is no big puncher, so Morales should be okay on that score. But “El Terrible” could find himself getting messed around, frustrated and held a lot inside by Lorenzo. Morales should win (probably on points), but he won’t look good in doing so.
Whether or not an ugly, awkward points win would do any favours for Morales’ lightweight title campaign, we do not know. Saturday’s fight will contest Morales’ WBC silver light-welterweight title.