By Jason Kim: Former three division world champion Erik Morales (50-6, 35 KO’s) will continue his comeback on December 18th against former World Boxing Organization super featherweight champion Jorge Barrios (50-4-1, 35 KO’s) in a 12 round bout at the Caliente Racetrack, in Tijuana, Mexico. Morales, 34, will be defending his obscure WBC Silver light welterweight title against Barrios, and this is a fight where Barrios would have to move up in weight from the lightweight division to fight Morales for his WBC Silver light welterweight title. Morales has looked awful in his two fights back since coming off of a two year retirement.

Morales faced Jose Alfaro in March of this year, beating him by a 12 round decision but appearing to lose the fight, from my perspective. Recently, Morales defeated Britain’s Willie Limond by a 6th round TKO on September 11th. This was another fight in which Morales looked terrible, and took a lot of punishment before getting it together and putting Limond down with a series of body shots. Morales would likely get beaten by most of the light welterweight contenders, all of the light welterweight champions and the same for the lightweight division. He’s interested in fighting WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.

If the fight comes off, it’s going to be like an old timer’s bout because Morales really isn’t relevant in the light welterweight division, other than a side attraction of a fighter from a past era. he doesn’t have the hand speed or the power needed to beat the better lightweights and light welterweights. Although Morales is losing weight from fight to fight, his struggles don’t appear to be related to his weight. He just looks old and well past it at 34. Barrios looked terrible in his last fight against Wilson Alcorro earlier this month on October 1st. I can see Morales beating this guy, since Barrios has already been beaten by fighters like Rocky Juarez and Joan Guzman.