By Sean McDaniel: The hard hitting light welterweight knockout artist Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) is not happy with the way things turned out against WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan in his Maidana’s last fight in December 2010. Maidana lost that fight by a 12 round decision despite hurting Khan badly in the 10th, perhaps bad enough for the fight to have been stopped. However, referee Joe Cortez allowed the fight to continue and Khan spent much of the time holding and running.

Khan had a big enough lead to get a decision, but it wasn’t pretty to see Khan take such a battering by Maidana. With that loss behind him, Maidana now plans on taking out his aggression on the slender 34-year-old Erik Morales in their fight on April 9th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. At their press meeting in Los Angeles, Morales said “Why shouldn’t I come back?” I didn’t deserve to go out like I did. I have goals to reach. I’m back because I want to be back. Other opponents were offered to me, but Maidana is a great opponent for me and who I want to fight.”

Morales had lost four consecutive fights at the time he retired in 2007. After a three year retirement, Morales came back at welterweight in 2010, which was three whole divisions above what Morales was fighting at before retiring in 2010. Morales has looked fat, slow and weak since coming back. But he’s won all three fights since making his comeback, chiefly because of the less than stellar opposition he’s been facing.

Maidana is going to be a tremendous jump up in competition for Morales, and if he doesn’t look a lot better than what he’s been looking in his last three fights, Morales will be knocked out. It’s as simple as that. Heck, even if Morales looks 100% better, he’ll still likely get knocked out. He’s moving up in too many divisions and he looks skinny and flabby around his midsection.

For his part, Maidana said “I have a lot of anger in me. I want to knock out my opponent. It’s what I have to do. I’m proud to be here facing Erik Morales. Beating a legend like him would help me build myself up to where I want to be. I don’t think he will be able to withstand my pressure. I didn’t ask for the fight, Morales did and I accepted.”