A LEGENDARY ERA BEGINS THE RIDE HOME!
Arlington, VA – All good things may come to an end, but the best conclusions are rarely reached without a crescendo preceding them. For this living-legendary featherweight era, the build to a fitting finale enters step two. The first step was supplied in November 2006 when Manny Pacquiao left what was left of the warrior soul of Erik Morales shaking his head and embracing the ugly reality of defeat. This is step two; it shouldn’t be but it is. In a perfect world, Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4, 42 KOs, #2 at 130 lbs. – Ring Magazine) and Juan Manuel Marquez (46-3-1, 35 KOs, #2 at 126) should have faced off years ago; they meet for the first time this Saturday at 130 lbs., both age 33, with a WBC belt on the line. The winner likely moves onto a coveted rematch with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao while the loser probably just moves on (Barrera was stopped by Pac-Man; Marquez drew). Boxing is a cruel mistress, so often winner takes all. This weekend, the winner will indeed have to take all their foe dishes out win. This fight, this era, can end no other way and while this is not the final chapter, it has air of the penultimate.
1996 TO THE PRESENT: WOW!
It really began in 1996. That wasn’t the year either of these men turned pro. Just the year that one of them emerged as a pro that truly mattered. It was the year that Barrera would win an immortal classic against Kennedy McKinney and truly announced the arrival of a special cadre of warriors. We’ve seen it all since then, an assortment of stars, great fights and hall of fame talent including: *Erik Morales-Daniel Zaragoza *Marco Antonio Barrera-Junior Jones (I & II) *Kennedy McKinney-Junior Jones *Erik Morales-Junior Jones *Barrera-Naseem Hamed *Barrera-Morales…the Trilogy that defined the time *Pacquiao-Barrera, Marquez and Morales (thrice) …
SUPPORTING CAST ROUGH AS WELL!
The co-stars weren’t bad either. Rugged vets like Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez, the late Agapito Sanchez…before we even speculate on a winner this weekend, we owe every one of these men a silent thank you. While some so-called superstars cherry picked their way around the game to maintain mythical ratings, these men gave us mythical fights. A silent thank you, just thank you, is in order.
GREAT BOUT BETWEEN GREAT TALENTS!
And here we are, in what must seem like the beginning for the combatants. Both Marquez and Barrera were raised up on the often-missed LA Forum shows. Rabid Mexican fans, the best ring card girls…those shows had it all. It is fitting that in the last days of its tradition, it would give birth to these two. Barrera has been one for all time, a great brawler who became a great boxer. Marquez is the consummate pro. Every shot is perfect, the precision of a surgeon. What Marquez is not is a talent with the ledger he deserves. Questionable management and the bad timing of being just dangerous enough to avoid in a multi-million dollar era plague his legacy. This can change it all.
BARRERA: CONSUMATE WARRIOR!
That’s because Barrera marks the ultimate: a test against the best Mexican fight of his era; one day maybe considered the best of them all. It’s a test Marquez will pass. Barrera has done it all, but he’s done it more times and for more punishment. The fight that will end this era is a resolution of the better man between Marquez and Pacquiao; the fight that gets us there will leave us breathless. Look for Barrera to surge to an early lead only to have Marquez battle back for the late stoppage. And look for greatness; it doesn’t come along every day even if for the better part of eleven years it has been with us every second.
24-KARAT NOTEBOOK…
PERSONAL NOTE: It’s with a heavy heart that I write these words: this will be my last column here at Ring Talk. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the wonderful readers here over the last two-plus years.
