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If we could put a face to the sinister individual that none of us would wish to meet down the infamous dark alley, it might belong to Erik Morales. Not because his features are particularly unpleasant, but because he is “El Terrible.” Just as the macho myths of Roberto Duran linger, so too will stories of Morales echo long after his final bow. Who else could park an automobile worth more than most homes outside a gym in one of Tijuana’s toughest areas, and emerge hours later to find the vehicle completely untouched?
He is the product of innumerable gym wars. The result of hundreds of impoverished Tijuana kids that escaped the streets to an environment offering discipline, self-esteem, and a fleeting promise of success and riches to the improbable few that might elevate themselves above the unfortunate many.
Whether through fearsome reputation, or the weight of historic achievements, Morales was always an overbearing presence on his contemporaries. His sharpness of punch was matched only by the strength of his insults, both of which he used for the physical and mental dissection of some of the world’s best fighters. He was a sneering, snarling predator whose business was the assembly of a grand legacy one bloody and brutal encounter at a time.
Though his private manner may be calm, even intellectual, it has never deceived the coarse persona and savage ring reputation he constructed. He did not conceal his dislike of opponents, and could not concede defeat at the hands of another’s superiority.
Selective quotations from Spanish translators made Morales the fighter seem civilized; however, he was as concerned with political correctness as he was with the plight of his opponent. He has unapologetically inflicted depraved taunts and insults to inflame his rivals, and posed over the prone form of a battered victim as would a hunter with his prized kill. [details]
He is the product of innumerable gym wars. The result of hundreds of impoverished Tijuana kids that escaped the streets to an environment offering discipline, self-esteem, and a fleeting promise of success and riches to the improbable few that might elevate themselves above the unfortunate many.
Whether through fearsome reputation, or the weight of historic achievements, Morales was always an overbearing presence on his contemporaries. His sharpness of punch was matched only by the strength of his insults, both of which he used for the physical and mental dissection of some of the world’s best fighters. He was a sneering, snarling predator whose business was the assembly of a grand legacy one bloody and brutal encounter at a time.
Though his private manner may be calm, even intellectual, it has never deceived the coarse persona and savage ring reputation he constructed. He did not conceal his dislike of opponents, and could not concede defeat at the hands of another’s superiority.
Selective quotations from Spanish translators made Morales the fighter seem civilized; however, he was as concerned with political correctness as he was with the plight of his opponent. He has unapologetically inflicted depraved taunts and insults to inflame his rivals, and posed over the prone form of a battered victim as would a hunter with his prized kill. [details]
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