The apostle Paul claimed to have a thorn in his side that he prayed, three times, to be removed. While Paul never revealed the source of his irritation, we do know it was never removed and the esteemed apostle had to learn to live with it. Marco Antonio Barrera says he has a thorn of his own, originating from an 11th round KO loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2003.
?It?s a thorn in my side because he?s beaten so many Mexicans and, obviously, I want to put a stop to that,? said Barrera
His thorn is an untreated wound that has been left to fester, red and swollen, until it is tender to the touch, a constant, painful distraction.
Pacquiao has had his own distractions. After all, being the most popular celebrity in your country while running for public office in the Petri dish of political corruption, otherwise known as the Philippines, cannot be easy.
Pacquiao (44-3-2, 35 KOs) collides with Barrera (63-5, 42) at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday night, a culmination of two careers having undergone similar transitions.
Barrera started his boxing life as the prototypical Mexican brawler ? fast hands and hard punches served up with plenty of searing, jalape?o hooks to the body. A knockout loss to Junior Jones and a decision loss in a classic with Erik Morales helped persuade ?The Baby Faced Assassin? that a little defense goes a long way. Barrera?s derailing of the Naseem Hamed train in 2001 proved the transition complete.
Pacquiao dominated Barrera in November of 2003 with a limited arsenal ? a right jab and straight left ? but his hand speed and power overwhelmed the Mexican, who was being pummeled mercilessly when a member of his corner climbed onto the ring apron to stop the fight. The Filipino icon, under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, has since added head movement, a more versatile attack, and patience to his world-class speed and power.
On collection of the evidence, the cold, heartless eye of observation tells us that since November 2003, Barrera has aged, Pacquiao has improved, and Barrera?s thorn is barbed. Removing it would be painful and invasive. Is Barrera willing to withstand the suffering required?
The resident of Guadalajara, Mexico, whose fans possess a fierce loyalty of their own, claims that, win or lose, this is his last major fight. He doesn?t want any more ring wars and if he laces up his gloves once more after this Saturday, it will be against a lesser opponent in Mexico. The older the man, the duller his taste for battle.
What of The Pac Man?s distractions? After all, it was the media frenzy over a small steel plate in Marco Antonio Barrera?s head, along with having to leave camp when a forest fire threatened his Big Bear, California training facility, that Barrera claims dissolved his focus before his first fight with Pacquiao. With distractions, as with good comedy, timing is everything.
Boxers, believe it or not, are people too. They need intellectual and athletic stimuli beyond the gym. Some record music, or play basketball, or golf, or become promoters, or try their hand at acting, or some combination thereof. Manny Pacquiao ran for public office. That doesn?t make him less of a fighter, just a more complete person.
The dangers of distraction were more pronounced in Barrera?s case because they occurred during camp. By the time Pacquiao started camp in Cebu City; the election was a mere memory. By the time he set foot in the US, he was at a fighting ready 132 lbs, just two pounds over the super featherweight limit.
Freddie Roach positively gushes when he speaks of his star pupil.
?He is still evolving into one of the best fighters of his era and, possibly, history,? said Freddie. ?He is a more complete fighter and a smoother boxer who uses both hands effectively. What separates Manny from anyone I have worked with is his work ethic. He just works on everything, new or old, until he has perfected it.?
When asked what dangers Barrera presented, Roach didn?t hesitate. ?Barrera is a very, very smart fighter,? he said.
Smart fighters find flaws and attack them and the 33-year-old veteran sees flaws in Pacquiao.
??you know, we (Barrera and Edwin Valero, the undefeated Venezuelan southpaw who?s served as chief sparring partner) talked about different things and his style and there?s some flaws in there. I can?t really be specific on some of the flaws we came out with. But yes, he (Valero) gave me some advice.?
Barrera hopes use his smarts to expose and exploit Pacquiao?s flaws. If he cannot, he will have to go to war with the younger, stronger, faster Filipino. Either that, or learn to live with a little discomfort in his side.
