Marquez at Morales, kakasa sa isang exhibition match

Ang isang pagtatapat na hindi naganap sa kanilang panahon ay maaari ng matupad sa bagong henerasyon – makaraang pumayag na ang isa sa dalawang Mexican boxing legends na magkaroon ng isang ‘Exhibition Match’ upang matupad na ang pinananabikang All-Mexican battle.

Naging bukas na sa oportunidad si dating World champion Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez na makatapat sa unang pagkakataon si “El Terrible” Erik Morales matapos hindi magsalubong ang kanilang mga kamao sa ibabaw ng boxing ring kasunod ng ilang mga naunang nakalinyang laban at umano’y pag-iwas ng bawat isa.

“For me it would be to my liking to do an exhibition,” wika ni Marquez sa panayam ng ESPN Deportes. “I would take [Morales] as an exhibition fight. You have to take the positive and the negative of doing that. I would like it. If I trained for this I would do it at one hundred percent. If you could do it, why not?”

Nagsimula ang umano’y hamunan ng makailang beses magbatuhan ng putik ang dalawang Mehikano tungkol sa kaibahan at pagkakahambing ng kanilang mga karera sa mundo ng boksing higit na ang mga resulta ng mga laban nila kay Eight-division world titlist Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

Nagpatutsadahan ang bawat isa sa pagkakaiba ng kanilang panalo laban sa Pambansang Kamao kung saan ipinagmalaki ni Morales na hindi niya kinailangan ng panalo kay Pacquiao upang ukitin ang pangalan sa kanyang karera, habang nilinaw nito na hindi kailangan ng apat na laban upang maisakatuparan ang isang panalo.

“My career was not defined by Pacquiao. I didn't need to beat him. I don't want to be too arrogant but nobody gave me a boxing lesson,” pahayag ni Morales sa isang panayam ng Fox Deportes. “Winning by knockout is important, but for me it was better to dominate them, make them suffer inside the ring.”

Ipinagtaas-kilay ni Marquez ang naging pahayag ni Morales sa nasabing ulat, na ipinaliwanag ang dahilan ng apat na laban sa Fighting Senator dahil sa ‘tatlong beses umano itong inagawan ng panalo.’

“He (Morales) says he did not need four fights to beat Pacquiao,” sambit ni Marquez sa ESPN Deportes. “You have to remember that in the first fight, Erik Morales did pretty well and then what happened? He ended up getting knocked out by the Filipino fighter. I needed four fights, why? That is very obvious and people know it, because each of those fights ended with controversial decisions, decisions where I basically beat him, in my opinion. Everyone has his opinion, and I respect him, but Pacquiao himself was not satisfied with what he did in every fight, and even the decisions, especially in the third fight."