Who knew “El Terrible” was a Facebook “Fanatic”?

Legendary Mexican warrior Erik “El Terrbile” Morales, #8 ranked WBC contender Josesito Lopez and unbeaten top contender Jessie Vargas came out to greet the masses today at the press conference announcing the fighters joining forces on the undercard of “Star Power: Mayweather vs. Ortiz” taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Morales will now be facing hard-hitting Lucas Matthysse, who’s stepping in for original opponent Jorge Barrios, who was reportedly unable to leave the country. The two will vie for the vacant WBC Super Lightweight title (after champ Timothy Bradley was declared a “champion in recess”). And on the undercard, Vargas will face off against Lopez for ten rounds of action.

Checking out the action today at the outdoor Placita Olvera, I could hear the Mariachis playing on stage as we awaited the fighters’ arrivals. As church bells rang out from the nearby chapel at the historic Olvera Street, I watched as fans gathered around to cheer on their favorite boxers. And you can check out some of my snapshots from the day’s festivities.

With the addition of Morales vs. Matthysse, September 17 will now boast three WBC world title bouts, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer reminded us as we sat, all trying to stay cool under the rising temperatures. Opening the Pay-Per-View (PPV) broadcast from Vegas will be Vargas vs. Lopez and in an unprecedented event, the Vegas battles will coincide with live fights taking place at the Staples Center with Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfonso Gomez in the main event. The September extravaganza is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions.

In attendance at the fight kickoff in the historic Mexican marketplace were the three fighters, Vargas’ trainer Robert Alcazar, Lopez’s trainer Henry Ramirez, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe and Lopez’s co-promoter Ken Thompson of Thompson Boxing Promotions.

The Lopez (29-3, 17 KOs) vs. Vargas (16-0, 9 KOs) clash looks to be an exciting one as the show is on target to be a sell out. Schaefer gave us an update that there are only a couple thousand tickets left for purchase for the Vegas fights.

Promoter Thompson thinks his fighter facing off against Vargas, 22, could possibly even “steal the show” on what he says is an unbelievable card for the fans. “Both are out to prove themselves,” the Hall of Fame promoter remarked of the Lopez–Vargas collision. “And Josesito is slick, fast and exciting,” Ken continued. “He’s #8 in the world.”

This will be Jessie’s fourth fight of 2011 (and his HBO PPV debut) and Lopez’s first bout since his January victory over Mike Dallas Jr. in which he won the NABF Light Welter title.

And Vargas has a new trainer in his corner. After working with Roger Mayweather, Jessie now has famed trainer Robert Alcazar (who worked with Edwin Valero and Oscar De La Hoya). Teaming up for their second fight together, many are calling Vargas’ September bout his “coming out party.” I asked Alcazar his thoughts on the upcoming war. “He should stop the kid; he’s 16 and 0 and doing great,” the veteran coach told me. Sparring will begin on Tuesday in Vegas the affable trainer confirmed.

As these two rising stars, Vargas and Lopez, look to continue to make a name for themselves, the popular Erik Morales still wants to prove he’s still legit in the fight game–even at age 34.

“El Terrible” (51-7, 35 KOs) joked with the crowd assembled that he is aware of all the talk on the Internet.

And surprisingly, he’s even into Facebook! Yes, Morales uses social media and combs the Internet just like everyone else and has read many comments saying “he’s crazy to keep fighting.” The Tijuana boxer plans on adding a new belt on September 17 when he faces the talented Argentinean Matthysse. “I’ve seen a lot of the comments on Facebook that I am crazy…” he teased. “And I want to confirm that yes, I am crazy! Crazy for what I do. And I always do it with dignity.” He went on to say he also read and heard all that comments that he was going to get “killed” in his fight against Maidana. But he also said he doesn’t listen to anyone. “I’m crazy for what I do and what I believe in!” the famed five-time champ reiterated.

Now he wants to add this WBC belt to his cache of world titles. And it’s a belt that he doesn’t expect to be “handed” to him. “He doesn’t need to be handed a title. He earns his titles,” Shaefer pointed out in regards to the September championship fight.

September 17 will go down in history for the collection of bouts taking place at both the MGM Grand in Vegas and Staples Center in L.A.

“This is as good as it gets,” Richard Schaefer raved. He also summed up the gigantic scope of the fistic event by comparing the night to the Super Bowl, Game 7 of the World Series, and the last round of the Indy 500.

And for us boxing aficionados, it looks like it will be a real “knockout” of a night shining even brighter now that Erik Morales, Lucas Matthysse, Jessie Vargas and Josesito Lopez have been added to the already much-anticipated Vegas action.

And for all you boxing fans, watch what you write on Facebook…”El Terrible” is eyeballing all the comments on your FB walls!

Photos by Michele Chong