By Jesús López Castrejón, notifight.com

Being seven years older than his opponent, "Chino" Marcos Maidana, has placed Erik Morales in the position of being a heavy underdog in their upcoming fight on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The pride of Tijuana, Baja California, has said that he will not embarrass himself and promises to provide the best effort possible in his training camp.

Morales is training at the Otomi Ceremonial Center, nearly three thousand meters above sea level.

"Maidana is a young and great gladiator, whose power make him even more dangerous," Morales said. "As a true warrior, I will keep fighting until the end, and hope that my hand is raised as the winner."

"I never mind being at a disadvantage ... and that's because I've always fought the best," Morales said.

Erik Morales is accompanied by his team, composed of Jose "Olive Grove" Morales, father and coach, Raul Robles, trainer, Fernando Fernandez, and their assistants Jorge "Choko" Murillo and Jorge Quezada.