Sporting Chance

MERIDA -- Former World Boxing Council (WBC) superbantamweight champion Erik (Terrible) Morales said he'd rather fight Luisito Espinosa than Guty Espadas Jr. because the Filipino is a tougher opponent.

I spoke to Morales the morning after Espadas beat Espinosa on a technical decision for the vacant WBC featherweight crown here last Friday. We bumped into each other in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Morales, who relinquished the 112-pound title to invade the featherweight ranks, said he was disappointed that Espinosa lost. He didn't think Espadas would win.

"I was excited to fight Luisito," he said. "He's a great fighter, a great champion. We would've had an incredible fight."

WBC president Jose Solaiman has designated Morales as Espadas' mandatory challenger but is allowing the newly-crowned champion a prior voluntary defense.

Morales said it looks like age has finally caught up with Espinosa. He said Espadas' youth made the difference. Still, Morales said a fight against Espadas wouldn't be as interesting as a fight against Espinosa.

Morales was curious to find out what Espinosa plans next. He said the Filipino seemed out of sync because of an 11-month-layoff. Sure, Espadas hadn't fought in nine months but he's six years younger and Espinosa had a problem scaling down to the 126-pound limit.

Will Morales ever consider fighting Espinosa?

"Why not? He replied. "Maybe, later down the road. After I beat Guty and win the featherweight title. I could defend against him."

As for Morales, he'll take on an opponent, to be named, in the undercard of the Oscar de la Hoya-Sugar Shane Mosley duel for the WBC welterweight diadem in Los Angeles on June 17. Then in August or September, he'll face Espadas for the featherweight throne -- that is, if the kid from Merida is still champion.

Espinosa's trainer Robert Aguallo said if Espadas fights Morales like he did Espinosa, he should win, too.

Morales said fighters like Espinosa bring out the best in him, challenge him. "Filipinos are tough," he said. "I remember fighting (Reynante) Jamili last year. He had me in trouble in the early rounds before I finally knocked him out."

Morales is a soft-spoken Lothario whose silent waters run deep. I saw him walk into the hotel lobby at 4 a.m. once with a beautiful Mexican señorita who wore a body-fitting leather tank top and a mini-skirt. So you ask: What was I doing in the lobby at 4 a.m.? Asking the counter clerk to fax my column to The STAR, of course.

Morales, coming off a hard-earned win over Marco Antonio Barrera, said he's looking for an opponent in the non-title fight in June.

Would Espinosa be interested? His wife Mariecherie said he should think it over carefully. Espinosa said he isn't scared of Morales. But a fight in June may be too soon. It depends on how quickly his left shoulder -- which has been hurting for a month -- heals.

Espinosa's manager Erlinda (Boots) Aniel said she will talk to America Presents president Dan Goossen this week to discuss future plans. Goossen tried to extend Espinosa's contract, which expires in May, until November before the Espadas fight, thinking the Filipino would win and move on to defend against Morales in a big-money showdown. In fact, he spoke to Espinosa and his wife a few hours before leaving for the Proliforum Zamna dome. Was Goossen out to distract Espinosa?

Lawyer Sydney Hall, an immigration lawyer who introduced Espinosa to America Presents two years ago, said he expects World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight titlist Naseem Hamed to call in a few days. "Now that Luisito has lost two in a row, maybe Hamed won't be too scared to face him anymore," said Hall.

For the record, Fight Game Magazine, in its May 2000 issue, said a fight that fans would like to see this year is Espinosa versus Hamed. For whatever it's worth, Fight Game picked Espinosa to beat Hamed.