Erik Morales and Willie Limond came in at 143 pounds for their fight tomorrow night in Mexico. They're holding some WBC belt in the photos at Notifight.com, which I think is the hilarious "diamond championship," which you might recall the WBC invented out of thin air to poke their nose into the Pacquiao-Cotto fight last year.
Morales (49-6, 34 KO) is fighting for the second time this year after taking off all of 2008 and 2009 with a retirement that, as usual in boxing, didn't last. Limond (33-2, 8 KO) is a former domestic lightweight contender in the U.K. most famous for fighting Amir Khan and knocking him down in the middle of a pretty one-sided Khan win.
All reports indicate that a win here for Morales could be setting up a big all-Mexico showdown between he and reigning lightweight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez. With Morales weighing in at 143 to face Limond, it would seem that a fight with Marquez would have to be at 140 pounds, because it just doesn't seem like Morales can get down to 135, even though. Given that Morales is seeking a "world championship" in a fourth weight class, 140 would suffice -- and would also give Marquez a shot at the same goal, which no Mexican fighter has yet accomplished. It would be yet another way to market the fight to the loyal and diehard Mexican boxing audience, as two of their proudest warriors would be taking aim at a major goal for Mexican boxing. The issue of where a 140-pound belt might come from can probably be fixed after January, when Timothy Bradley (WBO) and Devon Alexander (IBF, WBC) are likely to fight for unification of three titles in the division. Surely one of those belts will fall off of the winner's waist shortly thereafter, if not before.
The WBC would be the most likely suspect in lifting a belt and throwing it up for grabs between Marquez and Morales, but don't count out the WBO. Marquez currently holds their lightweight trinket, as well as the WBA "super" belt and the legitimate, lineal championship of the division. One way or the other, if Marquez and Morales fight at 140, a major title will be on the line. You can bank on that.