By: Francisco Martinez
Ivan Morales can now look past his recent loss, and say he learned from it. Not only was he on weight but also managed to win in spectacular fashion. Being the younger brother of 4 division world champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Ivan has “big shoes” to fill. With intentions to follow his brother’s footsteps Ivan seems to be understanding it takes huge responsibility to carry on the great Morales legacy and tradition of being nothing less then a champion. As he’s ran into a few road bumps here and there Ivan Morales matures with every little setback. Here’s a look into the mentality of the new Ivan Morales as BoxingInsider.com made its way to Mexico for Erik Morales first promotional show under AS boxing.
BoxingInsider.com: “One of the things people always ask about is the tattoo on your face. What’s the significance of it?”
Ivan Morales: “It’s the initial of my daughters name, it’s a N, her name is Natasha”
(The tattoo proves Ivan Morales at times can lose his focus of better judgement in decision making as we point out in the introduction. He seems to understand now he’s under intense scrutiny so slip ups of this kind will quickly be criticized. He now thrives on fully focusing himself on the task at hand, his boxing career)
BoxingInsider.com: “What did your mom say when you initialed it on your face?”
Ivan Morales: “(laughs) …well, my mom and dad corrected me for it, as did my brothers…”
BoxingInsider.com: “…did she think you where becoming a gangster? I’m just kidding…”
Ivan Morales: “(laughs) …no, it’s just things that some people like. I like tattoos and I decided to get one”
BoxingInsider.com: “What kind of advice does your brother give you? He was a great champion and your following the same path as him”
Ivan Morales: “He gives me good advice regarding boxing and how to carry myself as a boxer. How I should be a good example for the kids. That’s part of the reason he corrected me on the tattoos. He tells me to be simple and well mannered. He keeps a close eye on me. He gives me good advice but I couldn’t tell you all of what he shares. It’s a real long list but yes, he’s really good with that”
BoxingInsider.com: “How do see your brothers career and what’s the first memory you have of him that impacted you to pursue the same dreams he was capable of accomplishing?”
Ivan Morales: “I think it was a great career the only bad thing was the way it ended but besides that he had a great career. A well respected one, an example is he faced the best and won many world titles. What impacted me most was his professionalism. I saw how he would train and kill himself to bring the weight down that was something that I really respected”
BoxingInsider.com: “Moving forward in the future what are some of the dreams you would like to realize in your career? How far do you want to go?”
Ivan Morales: “I have many dreams. One of them is to be world champion at 115lbs (super flyweight) 118lbs (bantamweight) 122lbs (super bantamweight) being WBO champion at 115lbs, what else (could they be)”
BoxingInsider.com: “How was the experience of fighting in the Forum on Gennady Golovkin’s card and along side Chocolatito (Roman Gonzalez) who many think is pound for pound the best fighter right now?”
Ivan Morales: “Honestly it was something real special. I had the pleasure to meet them a bit during the (press) conference and the weigh ins. To me Chocolatito and Golovkin are real humble people. It was a great experience. I was the third fight and for me that was a great honor. I also realized I was moving forward in my career so that motivates me to pursue my dreams and one day I dream of fighting against someone like Chocolatito. I mean, we all have the dream of fighting the best and best right now is Chocolatito”
BoxingInsider.com: “What would you have to do against Chocolatito? What advantages do you think you have over him if you where to face him one of these days?”
Ivan Morales: “Actually none but my height is something I have over him. I think that would be the only one. I have a lot to learn and I have long ways to go. Right now it’s all a dream, I have many things to learn but I do dream of the day I face someone like him”
As you can see Ivan Morales wants to be great but acknowledges he still has ways to go before being able to face someone like “Chocolatito” Roman Gonzalez who’s ranked #1 by Ring magazine, the “bible of boxing” which gives you a great introspect as to where his mentality is at the moment. All signs point to being refocused and ready to turn it up a notch. The Morales legacy seems to have more chapters waiting to be written.
