| 17 September 2011
The second fight on the televised Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz undercard features future Hall of Famer Erik Morales as he continues his comeback against Pablo Cesar Cano. Morales' opponent was supposed to be Lucas Matthysse until he withdrew due to an illness.
Morales is 51-7 with 35 KOs. He lost to Marcos Maidana in a close, thrilling battle in April but looked very good even in defeat. Cano is 22-0-1 and is making his first appearance outside of Mexico.
Michael Buffer gets us ready for a scheduled 12 rounds with the vacant WBC super lightweight title on the line.
Round 1
Both fighters try some jabs to feel each other out. Our own Max Parker mentioned that Morales looks a little soft. He puts together the first nice combo of the fight. Cano goes downstairs with a right hand. Morales pops the jab, then another one. Cano doubles the left hook off the jab. He lands two counter shots after a Morales body shot. Two left hooks by Cano close out the round.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cano
Round 2
Some fireworks break out early in this frame. Cano lands multiple right hands amidst a flurry. Morales lands his own right and is greeted by immediate return fire. Cano's quick hands are serving him well here. Erik comes over the top with a right hand. Left hook by Cano in the closing seconds.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cano
Round 3
Morales seems to have steadied himself in this round. He's slowed the pace and is tighter with his guard. Nice one-two combos by El Terrible. Cano steps into a nice left hand. Morales lands a right cross that is very sharp. Cano uses some jabs to set up his right hand.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Round 4
Pretty even first minute until a Morales right hand tilts things in his favor. His jab is still a factor as well. Cano seems to be bleeding near his left eye. Morales settles down and lands some big one-two combos. Both men land shots in the center of the ring. Morales' hands don't look that fast, but his fundamentals are so solid.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Round 5
Morales jabs while Cano tries to counter. Erik's jab is always there when he needs it. Cano pivots around and tries his own jab. Right hand by Morales coming in; left hook by Cano stepping back. Nice flurry by Cano. He looks a bit more confident after retreating for much of the last two rounds. Cano unleashes a stream of punches that has Morales on the defensive along the ropes. Morales goes on the attack with a right hand over the top. The crowd responds as both men let their hands go.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cano
Round 6
Morales hunts and finds a home for two right hands. Cano tries to settle behind his jab. Morales shrugs off some shots to land a left hook. Cano is seeing a lot of his punches blocked. His movement is still very good. Cano lands a left hook but Morales answers in kind. Quiet end to a close round.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Round 7
The blood is flowing more heavily from Morales' left eye. Neither man really get the upper hand in the first half of this round. Cano may be getting some courage because of that cut. Morales keeps looking for the right hand. Cano works the body and head in the corner. He lands a right-left combination in the center of the ring.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Cano
Round 8
Morales tries to make things more of a brawl. He chases Cano, landing as he moves. Cano is very bloody as well, and Morales clocks him with two right hands. Cano tries to get his legs under him and throw back. Good round for El Terrible.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Round 9
Cano is still moving pretty well. He needs to be as Morales is looing for those overhead rights. Both men have been covering up well. Cano has been busier; Morales has landed the harder punches. Morales lands a nice body shot. He has to dodge like crazy to avoid a final flurry.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Round 10
Cano tries to pick up the pace early. Morales is conserving his movement for when he really needs to step out of the way. Morales lands a stiff jab and several straight rights that force Cano back. His face is really a bloody mess. The referee stops the action so the doctor can attend to Cano's cuts. The action resumes, but blood is still streaming from near his left eye. Give Cano credit for staying game, but one wonders if the fight should be stopped.
Tylwalk: 10-9 Morales
Cano's corner asks the referee to stop the fight after the tenth round, which seems appropriate considering the state of Cano's face.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 10, Erik "El Terrible" Morales.
Larry Merchant asks Morales if he was worried early on because he seemed to be having some trouble with the younger fighter. Erik says it took him a while to adjust and gain his confidence. Morales does say he thought Cano got nervous once he started bleeding.
