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 | | Subject: James Kirkland vs. Carlos Molina, Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia set for Jan 28th Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:20 pm | |
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- The first HBO card of 2012 has been agreed to and will be headlined by Mexican star Erik Morales defending his version of the junior welterweight title against Danny Garcia, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.
Junior middleweight contenders James Kirkland and Carlos Molina will meet in the opening bout of the "Boxing After Dark" card.
Schaefer said the show will take place at Reliant Arena in Houston.
"Everything has been agreed to. These are two excellent fights," Schaefer said. "I think Morales-Garcia is definitely a crossroads fight. Erik is excited about going back to Texas. For Danny, it is an amazing opportunity to fight a legend like Erik Morales. He is thrilled beyond belief. He is going to want to make the best out of it."
Morales has fought twice in Texas, both times in El Paso, in front of crowds that were heavily Mexican -- a 2000 win against Kevin Kelley, and when he won his first world title at junior featherweight when he knocked out Hall of Famer Daniel Zaragoza in 1997.
The fight pits the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer and four-division titleholder Morales (52-7, 36 KOs) against 23-year-old Garcia (22-0, 14 KOs), one of boxing's rising talents, who is coming off a career-best victory against former titleholder Kendall Holt on Oct. 15 on the Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson undercard.
"I think it's going to be a good fight because of the styles of these two guys," Schaefer said. "It can only be an exciting fight, a toe-to-toe battle. You know the way Erik fights and the way Danny fights.
"Erik was ringside at Danny's fight against Holt and Erik has never turned down anybody. He feels he's going to teach the youngster a lesson. He feels that this is a very winnable fight for him otherwise he wouldn't take it."
Many viewed Morales as a shot fighter when he ended a 2½-year retirement in 2010 and returned for three low-level wins in a row.
But in April, as a massive underdog, gave Marcos Maidana, one of the top 140-pounders in the world, everything he could handle in a rousing slugfest, which Maidana won on a split decision. Despite the defeat, Morales looked as good as he had in years and was suddenly hot again.
After Timothy Bradley Jr. was unceremoniously stripped of his title, Morales was handed a chance to fight for the vacant belt and stopped inexperienced late replacement Pablo Cesar Cano on Sept. 17 on the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz undercard in Las Vegas.
"You saw the performance against Maidana. Erik made it clear that he is back," Schaefer said. "Let's see what he can do against a young, strong fighter like Danny Garcia. It's a dangerous fight for Erik and for Danny. Erik is one of the most experienced fighters and has shown that the time he took off was good for him. He is back, his body is back and he feels good.
"Erik Morales fights everybody and he said he feels Danny Garcia is very mechanical and he will expose him. He said, 'I have the style and skills and experience to beat the young, mechanical guy.' Let's see. Danny is one of the young guns."
Garcia, a Puerto Rican from Philadelphia who grew up watching and admiring Morales, was very excited to get the fight, which he found out about on Tuesday.
"I really couldn't believe it, it's a like a dream come true," Garcia told ESPN.com. "I am happy for the opportunity. Erik Morales was a great fighter, but now it's time for a new generation. It's time for a new champion. We haven't signed a contract yet, but the fight is verbally agreed to and I feel like this is the perfect time for me.
"I just fought one of the hardest punchers (Holt) in the division. I feel Erik Morales is a great fighter, but I feel like he had his day. He is the champion because of politics. I will be champion because I will take that belt off of him. I grew up watching Morales. Me and my friends were big fans. He is a great fighter, so to be in the ring with him will be a pleasure. I guess he's looking at me like his last fight, fighting a young guy to use his experience against. But I am not the same fighter as the last kid. Why he took the fight with me I don't know, but he is in for a tough fight."
Kirkland (30-1, 27 KOs), a big puncher with a shaky chin, re-emerged as a top 154-pound contender when he survived a first-round knockdown to score a sixth-round knockout of favored Alfredo "Perro" Angulo on Nov. 5 in a hellacious battle. Kirkland had shockingly been knocked out in the first round by Nobuhiro Ishida in April on the Maidana-Morales undercard. Kirkland returned to win two low-level fights before facing Angulo.
Molina (19-4-2, 6 KOs) sat out for nearly two years in a contract dispute with former promoter Don King, but since returning in March has earned his way into the junior middleweight top 10. He drew with contender Erislandy Lara in March, a fight most believe Molina won, knocked out Allen Conyers in April and then dominated former welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron for a lopsided decision in July.
"We like the fight. Carlos is busy, he's slick and he's durable," promoter Leon Margules said. "He is also a legitimate 12-round fighter. He has good stamina. We know Kirkland is a great puncher, but if he gets through the first couple of rounds when Kirkland is dangerous, then I think he can outwork him."
Said Schaefer, "James Kirkland has clearly established himself again in the 154-pound weight class with his thrilling performance against Alfredo Angulo. He showed everything. James Kirkland is back. With Carlos Molina, you have a very skilled fighter who has come up with the biggest wins of his career recently and he feels this is a winnable fight. Both fights on this card are explosive. That's the right word." http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7336761/erik-morales-set-defend-welterweight-title-vs-danny-garcia |
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