Erik Morales Not Retiring, Wants Maidana Rematch in March

Though some were hoping that Erik Morales would retire from boxing after he won a major title in his fourth weight class on Saturday night, that won't be happening. The 35-year-old Mexican legend says that he'll sit out the rest of 2011, but that he wants a rematch with Marcos Maidana in March. From Ryan Burton:

"March is good. I need to let my cuts heal. You can see that I have a couple cuts from the fight. December would be too soon. I would like a rematch with Maidana in March," explained Morales.

Team Maidana turned down an offer to step in and face Morales on Saturday, which would have had Maidana replacing Lucas Matthysse. But Maidana, who was originally slated to fight Robert Guerrero on August 27 before Guerrero was injured in camp, already had a fight set up in Argentina for September 23, with a venue locked in, TV money, and all of that. It just wasn't possible to do right away. Later, Maidana said if they both won they could fight again in December, but there are really no open HBO slots for the rest of the year.

Morales (52-7, 36 KO) is 35 years old and did struggle to get the win over 21-year-old Pablo Cesar Cano. Both men were bloodied and beaten up, and Morales was sort of inconsistent in the fight. He did very well against Maidana in a close April loss that shocked many in terms of being a competitive, back-and-forth war, and it may be a case of styles making fights with those two.

But Morales is such a fan favorite that I don't think anyone wants to see him go out losing. Going out on top (or as close as he can get to being on top anymore) would be great, but this is boxing, and Erik Morales is a fighter to his core. He'll leave only when he sees fit.

See Also - Erik Morales: A Champion's Champion, Bogus Title or Not