By Dan Ambrose: With many boxing fans feeling that three-time world champion Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KO’s) is a shot fighter, this puts Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KO’s) in a tough position of not only beating the 34-year-old Morales on April 9th, but beating him impressively by either knockout or a 12 round beating when they meet up at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Morales has had to battle hard in his three fights since coming back from a three-year retirement in 2010. Morales won each of his last three bouts, but he hasn’t regained the form that he had in the early part of his career. Morales was at his best as a super bantamweight and featherweight between 1997 to 2005.
Morales has faded since then and he doesn’t appear belong at light welterweight. Morales and still throw combinations but he’s lost a lot of hand speed and his power has gone downhill as well as he’s moved up in weight to take on bigger fighters at light welterweight. Maidana doesn’t have the boxing skills that Morales has going for him, but his power advantage will be significant.
Morales hasn’t been punched as hard as he will against Maidana since being stopped by Manny Pacquiao in his two rematches with Pacquiao in 2006. Maidana doesn’t have the hand speed of Pacquiao but he punches harder than the super featherweight version of Manny back then.
Morales can’t beat Maidana fighting on the outside. He has to slug with him and that’s where things are going to go badly for Morales. His power isn’t what it once was and he seems out of place at light welterweight.
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