The 30 year old Mexican assassin Marco Antonio Barrera has once again resurrected his career with his recent win over arch rival Erik Morales. A win seemed unlikely for him at the time even though they proved to be evenly matched in their first two encounters. Since their second fight, Morales had moved up in weight and was beating 130 pound contenders, winning belts, and garnering plenty of attention on pound for pound lists. Barrera on the other hand had been severely whipped by Manny Pacquiao. In today’s boxing where most only fight twice a year, a decisive loss is catastrophic. That was the case for Barrera a little more than one year ago. Many experts wrote that Marco was likely done as an elite fighter. A bad loss on the latter half of any boxer’s career usually means that they will never be the same. Someone forgot to tell Marco that he was finished.
Barrera’s inspiring win over Erik Morales put him right back to where he was before he met Pacquiao. Once again he is considered one of the pound for pound best and is the guy that everyone around his weight class wants a piece of. His options are wide open as far as his next opponent goes. The third Morales fight was his first time at 130 pounds and he only moved up so he could challenge his rival. A move back down to featherweight is definitely a possibility and much more so than another jump up in weight to take on the lightweight champions. Here is a list of potential opponents for Marco Antonio Barrera and how difficult I think each bout would be for him:
Manny Pacquiao II – Barrera has the heart of a champion and all champions want to avenge their losses. When Junior Jones beat him back in 1996, Barrera wanted a rematch and came away with two losses. That is the likely scenario here if he chooses to go after Pacquiao again. Heading into that fight Marco seemed uncharacteristically relaxed and jovial. He was coming off the biggest wins of his career over guys like Prince Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales, and Johnny Tapia. Barrera may have been reading his own press clippings and letting his success go to his head. Based on his pre fight attitude, Marco probably took Pacquiao lightly. A rematch between the two would be much more competitive, but the outcome would probably not differ. Manny would overwhelm Barrera in a slugfest and would relentlessly chase him if Barrera chose to box. A motivated Barrera would perform well, but would be unable to match the energy of Pacquiao.
Erik Morales IV – Anyone who has seen their previous three battles would not mind if they did it again. When the two get together both are at their best because they truly hate each other and hate the thought of losing to their enemy. The margin of victory for each decision in the trilogy has been razor thin so a fourth fight may still be needed to determine the better fighter. This would be a big money pay per view event as well as a treat for fans. Picking the winner of a Barrera/Morales fight is similar to picking heads or tails in a coin flip.
Juan Manuel Marquez – Marquez has accused Barrera of ducking him for years. It did appear that way while Barrera was on top at featherweight. Instead of taking on Marquez, who was the clear #1 contender, he fought aging former champions Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley. Marquez and Pacquiao are going to get it on in February and the winner will have a good shot at securing a match with Barrera. If Marquez wins, he presents a difficult style for Marco. Juan Manuel is a patient counter puncher and their fight could turn out to be a slow paced chess match. Barrera did not fight Marquez for a reason a few years back when he probably should have. He knew that it was an extremely difficult match up and Juan Manuel did not have the name recognition for that risk to be financially rewarded. A Marquez win over Pacquiao in February would change that.
Yodsanan Nanthachai (3-K Battery) – Although he is not yet a big name in America, 3-K Battery is without a doubt an elite fighter at 130 pounds. If Barrera decides to take on the best regardless of money or notoriety, then Nanthachai would be next. In reality that is not likely to happen, but it is one of the most intriguing matches that can be made in the sport. Both are versatile boxer punchers with relatively similar fighting styles. I have only seen 3-K Battery in action twice so it is difficult to determine who would win if he fought Barrera. From what I have seen he looks like a monster so Barrera would be in for a long night, win or lose, if he decided to fight the Thai champion.
Rocky Juarez – The young up and coming featherweight is starting to get noticed as a contender instead of a prospect. The television networks have taken a liking to Juarez so he has the name recognition right now that could attract a fight with Barrera. Juarez is an excellent young boxer, but he may not be ready for someone of Marco’s caliber. Barrera would likely take Rocky to school over twelve rounds, winning a lopsided decision. Even if defeated, this would be an excellent learning experience for the former US Olympian Juarez.
In Jin Chi – Chi is currently the WBC featherweight champion. The Korean is never in a dull fight and is always looking to brawl. He gave Erik Morales all he could handle in 2001 and knocked out Michael Brodie to win his belt. If Barrera wants to abandon his WBC Super Featherweight belt and move back down to 126 then this fight is a good possibility. Chi would come out aggressive and force Marco to fight just like Pacquiao did to him. In Jin probably does not have the energy of a Manny Pacquiao that is needed to sustain that kind of attack. Barrera would probably win a close one that would be in contention for fight of the year. This would not be a pay per view or as high of profile as the matches above. Barrera could feel that he is at the end of his career and only wants big time money fights. If that is the case then the Chi fight would not happen.
Scott Harrison – Harrison hails from Scotland and is the WBO Featherweight Champion. In typical European style, after winning his belt from Victor Santiago in 2002, Harrison is content in fighting B level and average mandatory opponents. He is a solid looking fighter though and if he ever decides to venture out of his hometown or take on the best in the sport he has a chance to make some noise. A fight with Barrera would be a hotly contested battle but the experience of Marco would carry him to a win. Marco Antonio Barrera has seen and dealt with any and everything that Scott Harrison could throw at him. Still, it would be refreshing for a European champ to take a chance for a change.
