Morales on losing streak

LAS VEGAS — The morning after he was trounced by Manny Pacquiao, three-time world boxing champion Erik Morales wore dark glasses to hide the lumps around his eyes and gambled on the roulette table at the Wynn Hotel where he was billeted here.

It didn’t look like a profitable venture for the Mexican who has now lost three of his last four fights. An eyewitness said Morales blew about $3,000 in just two minutes of calling the wrong numbers in the game.

Morales earned a veritable king’s ransom in last Saturday’s encounter that ended with "El Terrible" suffering the first knockout in his 13-year professional career. Pacquiao came from behind to score a convincing stoppage in the 10th round as referee Kenny Bayless stepped in after Morales’ second trip to the canvas.

When all the accounting is done, Morales is expected to pocket a gross of over $6 million for entering the ring to face Pacquiao. The amount includes his share of the $5 million site fee paid by hotel owner Steve Wynn and the pay-per-view upside or net of the HBO network’s expenses.

Morales reportedly left for Tijuana, his hometown, Sunday afternoon. He didn’t stay long in the city because there was nothing for him to celebrate in the entertainment capital.

Before the bout, Morales’ long-time publicist and interpreter Ricardo Jimenez told The STAR the rematch would determine if the fighter had reached his peak or not.

Jimenez, a Mexican writer who lives in Los Angeles and works for Top Rank’s Bob Arum, had guaranteed Morales would be at his best in the fight because he knew how important the fight was for his career.

"I can’t comment on whether he’s on the way down," said Jimenez. "(But) I’m confident if he just does what he did in the first fight, he’ll win again."

Morales tried to do what he did in the first bout, which he won on a unanimous decision. The big difference was he didn’t butt Pacquiao to open a cut in the rematch. One other thing, Morales didn’t factor in a much-improved Pacquiao who was in better physical condition for Saturday’s affair.

Jimenez said Morales often travels to towns all over Mexico where he stages big or small cards for his stable of over 30 fighters. One of his protegés Lorenzo Trejo takes on Filipino minimumweight contender Rodel Mayol during the "Night of Champions" at the Plaza de Toros in Cancun on Jan. 28. Another protegé, lady fighter Jackie Nava, sees action on the same show.

Like Pacquiao in Los Angeles, Morales spent a lonely Christmas without his family training in Queretaro. He postponed his traditional Christmas gift-giving in Tijuana where he cordons off five blocks to distribute toys, food and clothing to children in a whole-day affair featuring clowns, musicians and other stage performers.

Morales married his second wife Sandra Mora last Oct. 1. He divorced his first wife America with whom he has three children, two boys and a girl — aged 9, 7 and 6. Morales’ sons are not exposed to boxing, said Jimenez, because the fighter won’t allow them to consider following his footsteps.

Mora is expected to give birth to their first child in a few weeks.

Postscript: In 1978, Wynn built the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino on the Boardwalk and began the trend of bringing in high-profile entertainers to Las Vegas. Frank Sinatra was his main star. He built the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio then sold the hotels to the MGM Grand and used the proceeds to erect the 2,700-room luxury casino Wynn Las Vegas Hotel with a 7,042-yard, par 70 golf course. Wynn is now developing a casino resort in Macau. He was awarded a 20-year concession by the Macau government to construct his Asian flagship…Six of Pacquiao’s traveling party stayed in the other bedroom of his luxury suite at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. They included his youngest brother Rogel, Fernandez, fighter Gerry Balagbagan and trainer Nonoy Neri ... World Boxing Council lightflyweight champion Brian Viloria said he now weighs 115 pounds and shouldn’t find it difficult to trim down to 108 for his first championship defense against Jose Antonio Aguirre of Mexico at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino here on Feb. 18.