LAS VEGAS?Mixing guts and craft, and eluding his foe?s dangerous bombs often, Marco Antonio Barrera looked as though he could turn back time and pull off a mind-boggling upset.
But after a sometimes furious, sometimes sleepy 12 rounds, he fell short. Way short, losing a unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao ?- 118-109 twice and 115-112.
?Honestly, this is my last fight,? Barrera told a throng of reporters after the press conference.
If that, indeed, was the last bout in his 18-year pro career, then Barrera couldn?t have asked for a better ending.
Not only did he fight the best in his division, he hung in there for those 12 violent rounds, taking bombs and throwing some of his own with brutal, reckless abandon.
Before a near-sellout of 10,112 souls at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Barrera seemed to have bottled the recipe to beat the voracious PacMan.
But the formula expired in the late rounds, when Barrera, 34, showed his age. He couldn?t keep 28-year old Pacquiao at bay forever. At some points, he did have to engage and take a featherweight-size licking.
Still, the wily veteran from Guadalajara, Mexico belted one of his better performances. He kept a steady jab and frustrated Pacquiao by fighting from a distance and effectively counter-punching, using a dazzling array of upper cuts and short hooks.
?I was hurt,, he still as power, you know,? Pacquiao told reporters.
Pacquiao was more like aggravated. He keept looking for the knockout that Barrera wouldn?t provide by going on an all-out brawl. At ttimes, he ended up lunging, throwing blows in odd angles just to tag Barrera.
But the Mexican legend was too smart and too determined to stay standing until the final bell. And his resolve to survive minimized some of the action, and ultimately, a lot of the excitement.
As Barrera looks forward to retirement, Pacquiao looks forward to perhaps a climb at 135 pounds.
?I don?t mind fighting at lightweight, line them up,? declared the Pacman.
Freddie Roach seconded the notion and told Sun.Star Cebu in a quick interview that moving up in weight will be considered.
Pacquiao struggled to make the 130-pound weight limit this time around. He kept to 133 during the day of the weigh-in and had to lose it quickly. And that, evidently, contributed to his sluggish start.
Unfortunately for Barrera, the weight issues couldn?t completely derail Pacquiao. He was just too strong, too quick and too explosive.
Will he be a force at 135?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But he sure was the best at 122 and 130.
Who?s next?
Juan Marquez was offered by Dela Hoya.
Not so quick, said Bob Arum, who pointed out that JM still has to hurdle Rocky Juarez.
Edwin Valero?
He can?t fight in the US die to medical reasons. That deals a serious blow to the money-making power of that attraction.
For now, only one thing is sure for the Pacman.
Another nationwide celebration in the Philippines.
