Originally as I was starting to write this article it was going to be how Erik “el terrible” Morales may have as resurrection (for a fifth time) against Danny Garcia in their rematch this Saturday night from the newly opened Barclays arena in Brooklyn, NewYork. That similar to the success his Notre Dame counterpart is exhibiting in college football this season perhaps Morales has another great fight in him.
However that is not the case, instead Morales has been accused of having “irregularities” in a urine sample that was taken and with that a flurries of questions. The obvious one. What can clenbutrol actually do for Morales? By all accounts the drug is a diuretic that can be used as a masking agent. It seems more plausible that Morales was using it to help lose weight while not losing as much strength that is normally associated with cutting weight. While it may not be considered a steroid, a fighter that has more strength obviously will have a better shot at winning the fight and in all honesty, Morales needs as much help as he can get, but cheating?
Should fans be surprised that a fighter at the age of 36 who had been through as many wars and previous weight struggles as Morales has had over the last few years be shocked that Morales tried to gain an “edge”, no.
Athletes are living in a PED era and by the looks of it, PED usage and abuse by players in all sports are far higher than anyone would like to admit.
While cheating by Morales is not too big of a surprise, it doesn’t mean that Morales getting caught is a easy pill to swallow, this is Erik Morales! The fighter that gave Manny Pacquiao his last loss.( before Timothy Bradley), went to war with Marcos Maidana and his classic brawl with Marco Antonio Barrera.
All the warm and fuzzy feelings fight fans got because of all his fights he has given to his fans over the years seem tarnished now. Perhaps, just as the Mexico national soccer team had a similar drug test which was eventually turned over, maybe Morales is a victim of tainted meat. Yeah, sure.
No matter the outcome with Morales and his positive test, it looks as the fight is still on and that’s a good thing, or is it? For the fans who paid money and are heading to Brooklyn, it is. But does over looking tests mean that fans can expect similar things to occur in future fights? I certainly hope not, nothing good can come out of a positive test not now and not 10 years from now. Morales got caught yet he is still going to enter the ring tomorrow night. A cheat or a victim of a unfortunate circumstances, either way his promoters, the New York athletic commission and the fans have made their choice. The fights go on.