Eric Arturo Morel Puerto Rican professional boxer Date of Birth: 10.10.1975 Country: USA

Early Life and Amateur Career
Eric Arturo Morel was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He began his amateur boxing career by winning the national tournament series "Golden Gloves" in the flyweight division in 1994. In 1996, he joined the United States Olympic team as a flyweight, but he lost to Cuban boxer Maikro Romero.

Professional Career and Championships
Known among fans as "Little Steel Hands," Morel turned professional in 1996. He won his first thirty-three fights, including a match for the WBA flyweight championship where he defeated Sornpichai Kratingdaenggym by decision. Morel successfully defended his title five times before losing it to Lorenzo Parra in 2003. He then moved up to the super flyweight division and faced the champion of the WBA, but was defeated in 2005.

Legal Issues and Release
In October 2005, Morel was convicted of second-degree sexual assault against a intoxicated fifteen-year-old girl. He was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of supervised release. Morel chose not to deny the charges in court. However, he was released early in July 2007 and placed under supervised release.

Career and Current Life
Throughout his career, Morel participated in a total of forty-four fights, winning forty-two of them and twenty-one by knockout. His next fight was scheduled for June 26, 2010, in Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA, against popular American boxer Jorge Arce. While Arce was considered the likely favorite due to his multiple championship wins in different weight divisions, the fight promised to be exciting given the impressive sports statistics of both fighters.

Currently, Eric resides in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.