By Dan Ambrose: It’s sad that former three time world champion Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KO’s) is very likely on the verge of being ground up into hamburger by the heavy hitting Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) on April 9th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Morales is fighter with great boxing skills and a perhaps a sure thing for the boxing Hall of Fame at some point in the future, but he’s not the same fighter he once was and he has no business moving up in weight to take on the premier knockout artist in the light welterweight division.

The 34-year-old Morales is fighting at three divisions above his best fighting weight and it’s painfully obvious that Morales doesn’t have the body or the power to fight at light welterweight.

Morales looks flabby for a light welterweight with unsightly flab hanging off his sides, giving him a middle-aged appearance. That fat has been there since Morales made his comeback last year and it will probably be there on April 9th when he enters the ring against Maidana. This fight is going to be more demolition than a fight, because Morales is tailor made for Maidana more than any fighter I can think of.

Morales is like a Joe Frazier type of fighter facing a young George Foreman in Maidana. Like Frazier, Morales can’t really change his style to become a boxer. The only chance Morales has to beat Maidana is by out-slugging him and that just isn’t possible given Morales age, the wear and tears his body has been through and his lack of size and power compared to Maidana.