Erik Morales vs Danny Garcia Postponed, But Not Canceled

Sal Rodriguez of Record reports (translation via BoxingScene.com) that Erik Morales has pulled out of his January 28 HBO date against Danny Garcia, as most of us expected he would, but that he simply wants to postpone the fight following recent gallbladder surgery, and that he's not looking to have the bout canceled.

"Ultimately I will not fight. The doctors recommended more rest after the gallbladder operation and I think in a fight that is so important, it is best not to give any advantage to a fighter like Danny Garcia. I didn't ask them to cancel the fight, only to postpone the date. We'll see what we can set this week," Morales told Sal Rodriguez.

The 35-year-old Morales (52-7, 36 KO) was set to make the first defense of the WBC junior welterweight title he won against Pablo Cano on September 17 in Las Vegas, but last week it was reported that he was having the surgery, and a photo of him in the hospital showed him appearing to be nowhere near 140 pounds about six weeks away from the date in Houston.

Morales is hoping to reschedule the fight for February or March, but we'll see -- this fight just doesn't feel like it's going to happen to me, and never really has "seemed real."

As for James Kirkland and Carlos Molina, the fighters who were scheduled for the Houston undercard, nothing official has been said about what will happen to their bout.