Today we have Ricardo Lopez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales who are
called the pride of Mexico. Unfortunately, Barrera and Morales both fight in the
same weight division and both share a genuine dislike for one another. And they
both want to be king.Saturday, both will have the opportunity to show the Mexican people and fight fans everywhere who the best featherweight in the world is.
The winner will surely become the pride of Mexico while the loser will receive well wishes and condolences.
Barrera and Morales fought two years ago in a contest many observers labeled the fight of the year. Morales was the victor in that bout. Again, many who observed the fight felt Barrera won. He now has the chance to prove he is the better fighter.
At the final press conference on Wednesday, both fighters addressed the media.
"There is always a date and time for everything and this is it,'' Morales said. "I've had a grand training for approximately two months. I trained on what I needed to train on. I ran as much as I needed to run. I did what I needed to do in order to make this fight a grand fight. I am 100 percent sure I will fight like no one has ever seen me fight. I will do whatever I have to do to win and there is no barrier that can stop me… We will win!"
Morales spoke with confidence and did not give the impression he was merely hyping the fight.
Oscar Maldonado, who is in charge of Barrera's training and fight strategy, had this to say: "You will see Marco Antonio Barrera at 100 percent, even better than when he fought Hamed. You will see a complete Barrera, one you have not yet seen. We hope to see Erik Morales come at 100 percent and not the Erik Morales that showed up to fight Guty Espadas and Injin Chi because we want a competitive and grand fight".
When Barrera was introduced and stepped up to the podium, he elected to spend all his time thanking his team, his family and the promoters. He offered nothing in return to Morales' comments and only said he is in top shape.
Other bouts on the card will feature Fernando Montiel from Mexico vs. Pedro Alcazar of Panama for the WBO Super Flyweight Championship.
Justin Juuko will meet Miguel Cotto in a 10-round lightweight bout. This fight pairs a young, upcoming fighter - Cotto - against an experienced veteran in Juuko. The key in this fight will be whether Cotto is ready for the step up in competition.
"This is a crossroad fight for me and Cotto,'' said Juuko. "I know he's an up-and-coming fighter. He's been looking impressive. This is a fight that's going to prove if he can swim or if he can drown.
"But I'm not done. I should win this fight.The African man is coming hard on him!"
The fight will be live from the MGM Grand and The City of Entertainment, Las Vegas. Cost of the pay-per-view event is $39.95.