In a fight where he was counted out from the moment that it was announced, Erik Morales proved why he was a former world champion.
Great champions are often defined by their biggest wins but you tend to find out more about them when they’re faced with adversity.
For example, ‘GGG’ may have already had some incredible wins under his belt but his display of heart against Sergiy Derevyanchenko showed that Gennadiy Golovkin still had more to give.
Golovkin reaped the rewards of this experience when he rolled back the years to beat Ryota Murata in 2022 but one of the most famous examples of a former great defying the odds took place in 2011.
As one of Manny Pacquiao’s many great rivals, Morales was already an icon in his home country but what he did in Las Vegas on April 9 defined Mexican heart.
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Erik Morales produced an iconic performance to turn back the clock against Marcos Maidana
After retiring from the sport in 2007 following four consecutive losses, Erik Morales returned to the ring three years later where he racked up three wins in 2010 that didn’t exactly set the world alight.
With Golden Boy Promotions struggling to find the former champion an opponent, Morales himself suggested that Marcos Maidana as a potential matchup, reportedly claiming, “that guy from Argentina, that good puncher. I know how to beat him.”
Maidana was coming off of a knockout of Victor Ortiz and a back-and-forth war with Amir Khan that made a fight with Morales seem unthinkable.
Morales was years past his prime and having him face a 27-year-old who had won 27 of his 31 pro bouts via knockout was a total mismatch on paper.
The calls of the fight being a totally one-sided affair looked to be true in the opening round as Maidana started the fight incredibly aggressively and earned his reward after landing an uppercut that immediately started to impact his opponent’s right eye.
Morales was already fighting off of the back foot but now he was going to have to do it with one eye but that didn’t deter the veteran.
Though Maidana was able to regularly overwhelm and outland his opponent with his relentless pressure and output, the experience and toughness of Morales brought him back into the fight after the opening rounds and it was immediately clear that the fans were in for something special.
By the time that the fight got to round 8, Morales had already defied all expectations but he wasn’t done there as a huge left hook came close to dropping Maidana as the fight took another turn.
Despite Morales’ incredible display of heart, the younger man was able to slightly pull ahead in the championship rounds to win a majority decision in a fight of the year contender.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a better example of a former great somehow turning back the clock for one last dance after being counted out.
Not to mention the fact that HBO’s scorer Harold Lederman and one of the three judges had the fight as a draw.
“A lot of people said this was a mismatch and a wipeout, but Morales said he saw something in Maidana and he was right even though he didn’t get the decision,” Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said after the fight.
“He turned back the clock and he showed what he still has. He went toe-to-toe with one of the hardest punchers in the sport. We saw the old Erik Morales tonight, no question about it.”
Erik Morales left the fans with one last highlight to remember him by
Unsurprisingly, Erik Morales’ display against Marcos Maidana didn’t turn into some late career resurgence for the 35-year-old.
April 9 was a true one-off even if he did bounce back with a win over Pablo Cesar Cano to win the vacant WBC light welterweight title.
Morales ended his career with back-to-back losses to Danny Garcia, being stopped in the rematch as the young Mexican star left the Barclays Center in New York with the WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring light welterweight titles.