Marco Antonio Barrera takes on Juan Manuel Marquez in an eagerly-awaited Mexican super-fight on Saturday. Barrera, 33, will be defending his WBC super featherweight crown against his compatriot at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
Barrera has won world titles at three weights, while Marquez, also 33, is an ex-WBA and IBF featherweight champion.
Marquez has won 46 and lost three of his 50 pro fights, while Barrera has prevailed in 63 of his 68 encounters. Both are natives of Mexico City.
While Barrera has been one of the most marketable names in boxing for the best part of a decade, his rival has largely toiled outside the limelight.
Barrera claimed his first world title, the WBO super bantamweight belt, in 1995, but earned global attention with his dismantling of British featherweight sensation Naseem Hamed in 2001.
He leads his trilogy with fellow Mexican legend Erik Morales 2-1 and looked impressive in his most recent defence against Rocky Juarez last September.
His only defeats were to Junior Jones (twice) at super bantamweight, Morales (in 2000) and Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao, who became the first man to stop him in 2003.
“I have achieved all I wanted in the sport,” said Barrera.
“I am now a three-time world champion. It’s time I finished in fighting. One or two more fights, and then bye-bye.”
While the savvy Barrera is a partner in Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Marquez’s career has suffered from poor management.
His pro career began in 1993, but he had to wait until 2003 before winning his first world title, a mooted clash with Hamed having never materialised.
After beating Manuel Medina to claim the vacant IBF featherweight crown, he added the WBA strap with a win over Derrick Gainer in the same year.
In 2004, he drew with Pacquiao after being floored three times in the first round, but reportedly priced himself out of a rematch.
He was stripped of his titles when his next match failed to draw any purse bids and lost to new WBA title-holder Chris John last March for far less money than he could have earned for a Pacquiao clash.
“I’ve been wanting this fight for six years,” challenger Marquez said. “I feel very happy it’s finally happening.”
Some believe Marquez, an accomplished counter-puncher, could have the tools to beat Barrera, who has looked battle-weary at times in recent fights.
