Morales thinks bigger is better

CHICAGO -- Erik Morales, undefeated in his first 41 bouts, world champion at 21, winner of titles at 120, 126 and 130 pounds and a virtual shoo-in for boxing’s Hall of Fame, thinks he knows what went wrong in his last three bouts, all losses, two by knockout.

He believes he stayed too long at 130 pounds and wrongly abandoned his traditional training in his native Mexico for a fitness club in Los Angeles.

“It was too much science for me,” he said of the California training he tried before his knockout loss Nov. 18 against Manny Pacquiao.

Today, he will move up to 135 pounds to challenge Chicago’s David Diaz, the World Boxing Council lightweight champion. For the scheduled 12-round bout at Allstate Arena, Morales went back to his training regimen in the Otomi Mountains of Mexico.

“I don’t know if I’m at my best, but I have plenty left,” said the 14-year pro who will turn 31 on Sept. 1. “And I know now that 130 pounds was the wrong weight for me.”

He said he had trouble losing weight before fights and got tired during bouts because of the strain.

“It first happened in the late rounds of my first fight against Pacquiao two years ago,” he said.

He narrowly won that bout, but since was knocked out twice in rematches at 130 pounds.

“Appearance-wise, I might have looked good,” he said of the combination of wrong training and wrong weight. “But I felt tired in the ring.

“It’s better at 135 pounds. I feel stronger. I feel faster. Most important, I shouldn’t get tired in later rounds. On Saturday, you will see a new champion.”

The validity of that assessment will be tested against Diaz, 31, who’s known for his persistent, aggressive style.

“David just keeps coming and throwing punches,” promoter Bob Arum said. “His style is not elegant, but determined.”

Morales (48-5, 34 knockouts) characterized Diaz’s style as more similar to amateur fighters than pros, insisting he intended no disrespect. On Friday, Morales weighed in at 135 pounds and Diaz (32-1-1, 17 knockouts) at 133 3/4 .

A victory tonight would bring Morales a fourth title in four weight divisions, an unprecedented feat for Mexican fighters. If that happens, it will not be his last hurrah.

“I want to fight in Tijuana one more time,” he said. “That’s where I started.”

But if he loses to Diaz, he conceded, “It could be the end for me.”

His ring debut was a second-round knockout of Jose Orejel on March 29, 1993 in Tijuana, where Morales was born and where he fought 15 of his first 16 bouts after turning pro at age 16.

His birthplace was a building where his father, Jose, a flyweight contender in the 1970s, operated a boxing gym.

“I began training there when I was 5 years old,” Morales said.

His father is still his trainer.

He’s aware critics say he is on a downward slide after the two knockout losses to Pacquiao last year, and a loss by decision to Zahir Raheem in 2005 where Morales briefly tested the waters at 135 pounds.

But he’s not deterred.

“I believe in me and that’s what counts,” he said. “I have a lot of experience and can do a lot of things.

“I’m going to stand in the middle, I’m not going backward. David will box. I will fight.”

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FIGHT FACTS

* Who: Erik Morales (48-5)

vs. David Diaz (32-1-1)

* What: For Diaz’s WBC lightweight championship

* When: Tonight, 6 PDT

* Where: Allstate Arena,

Rosemont, Ill.

* Television: Pay-per-view