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It was something unexpected and a bit shocking. Marco Antonio Barrera sitting on his ass, a bit bewildered, courtesy of a crisp left hand shot from his November 15th, 2003 foe Manny Pacquiao. It took place in the 3rd round of their 12 round scheduled bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX and Barrera was never able to regroup or work his way back into the fight.
Pacquiao was in great shape and a step ahead of Barrera that night, laying heavy leather and constant pressure on the former Jr. Feather/Featherweight king all night. Finally, in the 11th round Barrera’s cornermen had seen enough, jumping on the ring apron, asking referee Laurence Cole to end the bout. And so it was, Marco Antonio Barrera, one of Mexico City’s prides, was dealt his first clear loss in over 6 ½ years.
Marco Antonio Barrera is a great fighter and a pleasure to watch, as nearly any knowledgeable boxing fan would attest to. Since his shocking knockout loss to Junior Jones in 1996, his career has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Barrera would rematch Jones five months later and lose again, this time by close decision. After the Jones’ losses Barrera somewhat disappeared from the scene and was dismissed by many as a fighter that would ever accomplish much more inside the squared circle. He reeled off seven victories in a row and come February 2000 he rose from the ashes to square up against arch rival and Tijuana native Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales in the Mandalay Bay of Las Vegas.
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Barrera and Morales put on a show, to say the least. It was no secret that the two fighters had a distinct dislike for each other and their actions in the ring showed just that, as the two Mexicans bumped heads, traded blows, and had the crowd roaring over 12 heated sessions. Barrera was on the losing end of the stick, but with his performance he let the boxing world know he wasn’t playing around and that he was once again a major player in the game.
The wheels turned and Barrera’s express rolled on. Like a flying phoenix he had risen from the ashes and was once again getting exposure and respect from many. Barrera starched Acelino Freitas’ brother Luiz in the first round and pulled out a 12 round win over Jose Luis Valbuena to set up another HBO date, this time against Honolulu native Jesus Salud underneath Bernard Hopkins’ rematch with Antwun Echols. On the line was a showdown with Sheffield, England’s Prince Naseem Hamed, putting a greater sense of importance on the fight.
Barrera was tactical and efficient, slowly breaking down Salud with hard combinations and punishing body blows on his way towards an easy 6th round TKO. With the win Barrera locked up a fight with the two fisted, power punching, dynamic enigma that we know as Prince Hamed. Naseem Hamed is a character, to say the least, but the little sumbitch can fight. Coming into the Barrera showdown his track record stood at 35-0 with 31 of his matches ending before the final bell. The little Brit could crack like a warhorse if nothing else and he was favored to take Barrera out on a stretcher. The MGM Grand Arena was host to the featherweight showdown and HBO PPV had the televising honors. Many expected Barrera to crumble from Hamed and his blazing guns. However, as it turned out it was Barrera taking Hamed behind the woodshed for a 12 round beatdown.
The fight was close through six rounds but Barrera was Hamed’s master over the next juncture of the fight and if you were a Hamed fan, it wasn’t a pretty sight. Barrera pot shotted and out bullied Hamed on his way to one of his finest wins as a pro. With the win, Barrera’s career had done a complete 180º turn and the momentum continued.
Barrera’s next trip saw him mastering his craft in the Lawlor Events Center, in Reno, Nevada on September 8th, 2001 against former WBA Jr. Feather champ Enrique Sanchez. Barrera was in complete form that night, and in my opinion he never looked more skilled in the ring. He danced in and out, boxing at ease and it was obvious from the outset that Sanchez’ southpaw stance wasn’t going to play much of a role in the fight. Barrera did as he pleased and put on what we like to call a ‘boxing clinic’. Sanchez was frustrated, he was hit at will, he tasted the canvas, and Marco Antonio Barrera owned him that night.
Enter June 22, 2002 and yet again Barrera would be fighting like a dog with his ‘buddy’ Erik Morales as if the two were scrapping for a prized piece of steak...
 Click for Part II
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