Four-weight world champion Erik Morales surprisingly overlooked Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera when naming his best ever opponent.
‘El Terrible’ had a stellar professional career which he topped off by becoming the first Mexican fighter in boxing history to win world titles in four divisions.
The majority of his success came between the late 1990s and early 2000s where he would lock horns with the likes of Barrera, Kevin Kelley, Wayne McCullough and Pacquiao.
He shared the ring with Barrera on several occasions between 2000 and 2004, providing boxing fans with one of the most memorable trilogies that the sport has ever seen.
But despite his showdowns with the likes of the Barrera and Pacquiao, Morales surprisingly overlooked both men when he was tasked with naming the best fighter that he ever shared a ring with.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, ‘El Terrible’ credited America’s Junior Jones with being the best boxer and the hardest puncher that he crossed paths with during his professional career.
“This is a tough question. I faced a lot of good boxers in my career, but I think Jones might be the best. He had very good technique. He threw straight, accurate punches. He could punch too. He hurt me in our fight.”
“I really felt it when he connected. I remember freezing for a second in the second round of our fight when he caught me with a right hand.”
Morales extended his unblemished record to 31-0 when he stopped Jones in the fourth round of their clash at the Bullring by the Sea in Tijuana, Mexico back in September of 1998.
Prior to his showdown with ‘El Terrible’, Jones produced two legacy-defining wins over Barrera where he became the WBO world super-bantamweight champion in their first encounter in November 1996.
