LAS VEGAS ? They?re still talking about that November night in 2003 when Manny Pacquiao rose to stardom with a victory over one of Mexico?s beloved boxers of all time.
One by one, reporters sent here to cover this weekend?s big fight kept on asking Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera about the 11th-round knockout loss as though the Filipino southpaw wasn?t capable of pulling off such feat.
But whenever Barrera is asked to comment on his team?s decision to abandon Big Bear owing to the forest fires and the discovery that he had undergone brain surgery to correct an in-born malady, the 33-year-old from Guadalajara kept on telling them he has gotten over it and is aching to move on.
“I had a bad night four years ago and I don?t like to talk about what happened that night,” said Barrera on Wednesday when Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions staged the final press conference at the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The date was Nov. 15.
The venue was the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, where a predominantly Mexican crowd gathered expecting to witness a slaughter wound up watching an unknown puncher from faraway make a name for himself.
Up until then, international fight fans did not even hear about the Pacquiao name.
At the end of the day, they had learned who Pacquiao was and how his name should be spelled.
While Pacquiao?s speech had more expression of thanks that his thoughts on his 12th fight on US soil and fifth in Sin City, Barrera spoke more about the merits of what he labels as “the last big fight of my life.”
Pacquiao said “we will know this Saturday if Barrera was really distracted or not (when we first fought).”
“A lot of people don?t think I am going to win and I don?t have a problem with that but I am going to surprise a lot of people on Saturday,” said Barrera, who racked up 125 rounds of sparring in Guadalajara.
“This is going to be way different from the first fight and they (Team Pacquiao) know this. It?s really been a long time since I really prepared hard for a fight,” said Barrera, whose last outing was a controversial decision defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez last March.
Barrera also took time out to deny allegations from Pacquiao?s camp, specifically trainer Freddie Roach, that he will resort to dirty tactics against Pacquiao and that his handwrapping style should not be questioned.
“I will use the same wrapping that I used four years ago. They don?t have to worry about it,” he said.
Roach had earlier raised the issue of Barrera?s penchant for wrapping his fists with excessive gauze which makes it so hard, a boxer getting punched by it feels like being hit by a stone.
“I hope they won?t have excuses this time because we don?t have any. We hope to get the job done before the 12th round,” said Roach, still slighted that Barrera had blamed the forest fires to his loss.
Pacquiao elicited laughter from the crowd by saying that he felt nervous standing in front of them sharing his opinion of what?s likely to happen when they lock horns anew.
And after thanking Top Rank and Golden Boy for deciding to join hands in bringing the fight to reality, Pacquiao closed out his speech with a love note to his wife Jinkee, seated three rows from the elevated dais.
“I love you, babe,” said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao packs a 44-3-2 win-loss-draw slate with 35 knockouts, while Barrera sports a 63-5 card with 42 wins inside the distance.
