With less than a week to go until the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, I have taken it upon myself to examine Barrera’s capabilities in the hopes of determining the areas in which he could use improvement. Who cares if the Mexican legend at only thirty three years of age has won titles in three different weight classes and managed to fight and defeat some to the biggest names of the last decade of boxing, south of welterweight? I don’t think that it is arrogant in the least to assume that I can highlight these areas while he cannot. So I am offering my services to them free of charge via the best boxing website on the net.
In all honesty and seriousness, it has been quite a while since I have had the opportunity to watch their first fight. Almost four years to be more precise. I have been waiting on HBO to air the replay in an attempt to boost interest and pay-per-view numbers, but no such luck as of yet. I guess I’ll have to rely on my poor memory, fickle as it is. Often memory subconsciously distorts events in order to satisfy conscious desire so that, through no fault of my own, my recollection may not be the same as someone else’s. For instance, I can’t recall if Barrera was susceptible to any other punch than the straight left in the first fight, or if he gave lateral movement an honest attempt before abandoning it in favor of brawling, or not. I do remember that Barrera lost however, and that is the number one thing I believe that he needs to improve on in order to come out victorious on October 6th.
That is not a typo?I meant what I wrote. In order to win the rematch, Barrera needs to make sure he does not lose. This statement is both obvious and ridiculous, though not untrue. Look at any of his fights with Erik Morales, Naseem Hamed, or Juan Manuel Marquez and my meaning becomes immediately clear. Barrera fought each round of those fights with the intention of not losing it. It was visible in the severe concentration etched into his face. If he was hit, he would hit back. In round one he wasn’t thinking about what might happen in round six, he was thinking only about round one and what it would take to win it. At times he seemed to be dividing the rounds into three-one minute segments, determined to win two of the three if he couldn’t sweep them all. I don’t recall seeing that same intensity in his face during the first Pacquiao fight. As a matter of fact, there were points in that match where he seemed to be fighting in survival mode, simply trying not to get knocked out. Give credit to Manny for making Barrera fight this way, as it was his combination of speed, power, and a damn good chin that gave Barrera his worst night since the Junior Jones debacle. Most believe that the rematch will turn out to be just as disastrous for Barrera as their first encounter. I am not one of those people.
When the two first met, Pacquiao was already being touted as an indestructible force from the Pacific, the future of the lower weight classes. Forget the two losses in the early part of his career, most people in the boxing world, myself included, still have not seen any footage of the ?Pacman? at his worst. The world only knew the destroyer, the man who annihilated opponents with shocking power the likes of which had not been witnessed since the early days of Mike Tyson’s championship reign. There were no sure fire answers to the Pacquiao puzzle at the time. Thanks to Morales and Marquez, the world has since learned how to handle Pacquiao, that he is not indestructible. Supremely talented though he may be, at his core he remains a human being; a mortal, fallible human being, though his demi-god status in the Philippines would belie the fact. I’ve said it before and still hold firm to the belief: Manny Pacquiao can be out-boxed. Not out-fought, or out-punched, only out-boxed.
Despite the highlight footage of toe-to-toe brawls as testimony to the contrary, Marco Antonio Barrera is a highly skilled boxer. Look at his bout with Marquez for evidence of that. Yes he was defeated, and no the scorecards weren’t wrong. No matter the outcome on paper, the fight was much closer than the numbers after the twelfth suggested. Every round was competitive and Barrera boxed with Marquez, which is a profound statement in and of itself. Yes, Pacquiao has improved his boxing skills since their last meeting, but not that much. Patience is hardly one of his virtues and oftentimes Manny will seek to force the pace of a bout rather than control it. His defense is remains poor and his ring movement when not charging forward consists of bouncing straight back and forth well within range of his opponents jab, provided the threat of Pacquiao’s left hand doesn’t frighten them out of throwing it.
Speaking of jabs, Barrera has a great one. It’s quick, hard, accurate, and can be thrown at angles. I know that a left jab isn’t considered the best weapon against a southpaw, but that rule only applies to slick southpaws. Pacquiao is anything but slick. Fast, powerful, physically strong, aggressive, an underrated right hand puncher with a solid chin-yes. But slick? No. If Barrera’s jab proved a difficult riddle for the masterful Marquez to solve, it should have equal, if not added, effect on Pacquiao. Remember how many problems Morales gave him with that punch. Where Morales had longer arms, Barrera has good hand speed and can throw the punch with snap. I don’t recall seeing him utilize this punch with conviction in the first fight, which is why it is a must here.
Remaining focused is paramount for Barrera in his second attempt at defeating Manny. He must, at all times, be careful to avoid being drug into an all out brawl against the faster, stronger opponent. Easier said than done for a man who has shown a tendency to swarm his opponents with punches, becoming overly aggressive when hit or hurt. In the past Barrera has sometimes been able to make this work to his advantage, sometimes not. Against Pacquiao the latter will most likely prove true. A power puncher beats a volume puncher, a boxer beats a power puncher, and a volume puncher beats a boxer, it’s simply a matter of Pugilism 101.
On the other hand, occasional transformation into a whirling dervish could make for sound strategy, if done briefly, under control, and only in moderation. For example, if Pacquiao were to land a straight left, Barrera should try to counter immediately with his right hook followed by a flurry to the body, then quickly get out. Engaging in an extended firefight with Manny Pacquiao is the equivalent to suicide for anyone under one-hundred and forty pounds. Barrera must retaliate when Manny lands cleanly, similar to the way Morales would do in his first fight with the Filipino Destroyer. Erik controlled the pace with movement and his jab. On those occasions when Manny did get close enough to score, and Manny will inevitably get close enough to score, Morales would fire back immediately, sometimes pushing his opponent back, sometimes not. Doing so accomplishes two things; First off it impresses the judges and shows off his heart and determination, two things which crowds love as much as clean punching, and we all know that crowds can influence judges, even in Vegas. Secondly, as was the case with Morales, firing back minimized the points Pacquiao managed to score when he did land, and probably stole a round or two. This all goes back to Barrera concentrating on not losing. If he wins two minutes of the round and only loses one minute, then that is a round in the bank for him.
Some will say that Barrera can do all of these things and still lose the fight. They may be right. Manny Pacquiao is one of a kind. He already holds one victory over Barrera and there is no reason to think that he is incapable of gaining a second. Barrera is the only thing standing in his way. To stop him, the ?Baby Faced Assassin? must focus on winning each round, boxing behind his jab, and mixing in intelligent aggression rather than uncontrolled rage. There is one other thing that he must do which I have thus far failed to mention: He must believe in himself, because nobody else will be.
