Morales Caught on the Horns of a Dilemma

For Erik Morales, the title defense may be his last--at 122 pounds.

For Diego Morales, his title defense may be the first of many on cards with his brother.

For Michael Carbajal, this may be his last shot at a fifth title.

And for Butterbean, who has newly acquired credibility, despite not having a bona fide title, it’s yet another fight with the same old act in a new setting.

The setting is a bullring in Tijuana, Toreo de Tijuana, where tonight all four men will take on bulls of a different kind, but all vicious.

With plans to soon relinquish his 122-pound title, the World Boxing Council super-bantamweight crown, unbeaten Erik Morales (32-0, 26 knockouts) will put his title up against No. 1 contender Reynante Jamili (39-4, 30 knockouts) of the Philippines.

Morales, defending for the seventh time, will be headlining a pay-per-view card for the second time.

But whereas the fans of Tijuana, the hometown where he still lives and trains, would fill a bullring just to see Morales spar, boxing fans on the other side of the border are a little more discriminating. They want to see quality opponents and they are in short supply at 122 pounds.

“I want big-money fights and there are no really big names at 122,� Morales said through an interpreter. “There is nobody left.�

Morales might have waited around for 118-pounder Johnny Tapia, but Tapia lost his World Boxing Assn. bantamweight championship last month to Paulie Ayala and now is more interested in a rematch.

So Erik Morales looks instead to the weight ahead, assuming he wins tonight. At 126 pounds, he would be an attractive opponent for the winner, or even the loser, of the Prince Naseem Hamed-Cesar Soto title fight, which may be held Oct. 22.

Morales’ appeal in the U.S. has been limited thus far because he doesn’t speak English and prefers to fight in Tijuana, where he trains in the very building where he was born.

“Most fighters dream of fighting in Las Vegas,� Morales said. “But I like it here, where the people scream for me and the crowds are the best.�

Tonight’s fight, Morales’ 34th, will be his 23rd in Tijuana.

His brother, Diego (18-0, 14 knockouts), improves the family record to 51-0. Diego will be defending, for the first time, his World Boxing Organization junior-bantamweight title, which he won with an 11th-round TKO of Victor Godoi in June.

In Tijuana, naturally.

Diego will fight Ysiais Zamudio (45-8-1, 17 knockouts), who gets his fourth shot at a major title. In each previous attempt, Zamudio lost a bid for the WBC flyweight title on a decision.

Erik says the presence of his brother on tonight’s card won’t be a distraction.

“I’m not worried about [Diego],� Erik said. “He has a lot of talent.�

So does Carbajal (48-4, 32 knockouts), who has held the WBC, WBO, International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Assn. 108-pound titles.

After losing two of three fights, costing him the last of his titles, Carbajal is 3-0 on a comeback streak and promises that tonight he will be “the Michael Carbajal of old.�

At 31, he will have to be if he hopes to prevail over WBO junior flyweight champion Jorge Arce (20-2-1, 15 knockouts), a Mexican fighting on his native soil.

As for Butterbean (45-1-1, 34 knockouts), formerly Eric Esch, he stepped up the level of competition last month in Las Vegas, taking on Peter McNeeley, a genuine though over-the-hill fighter, rather than the usual carnival performers Butterbean lines up. McNeeley didn’t survive the first round.

Tonight, however, it’s business as usual for Butterbean as he fights Tim “Mountain Man� Burgoon (12-7-1, seven knockouts).

Why doesn’t Butterbean take the circus act to the ultimate level and face a real, live bull?

WEIGHING MACHO AND MATURITY

While an investigation continues into charges that Fernando Vargas, the International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight champion, is guilty of an assault that could land him in prison, some question whether Vargas’ difficulties stem from an overall inability to sever his ties with his past.

Vargas grew up with a rough crowd on the streets of Oxnard. It was a call to friends in the early morning last Sunday that triggered the beating of 23-year-old Doug Rossi in a home in Summerland.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether Vargas himself was part of the assault, which might also have included four of his companions.

HBO vice president Lou DiBella, while not threatening to discontinue his network’s involvement with the 21-year-old unbeaten fighter, is concerned.

“It’s not just how good you are,� DiBella said. “Character counts in this environment.�

Said Shelly Finkel, one of Vargas’ managers: “I think he has to know when to cut back. He has a lot of friends he has been loyal to, who have also been loyal to him. He has to learn to live in two worlds and balance it.�

QUICK JABS

Naoya Hirahara (11-4-2, seven knockouts) and Israel Correa (6-2, one knockout) will battle for the vacant state featherweight title Thursday night at the Irvine Marriott. This is a rematch of a fight Correa won on a split decision in April. First bell Thursday is at 7:30.