MARCO ANTONIO Barrera is not interested in a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. In an interview with a boxing website, the world superfeatherweight champion also advised Pacquiao to accept his defeat from the hands of Erik Morales graciously and not to cite other reasons for his loss such as the use of thicker gloves.
In rejecting a rematch with Pacquiao, Barrera said such a fight would not make him a better fighter beause even if he managed to beat the Filipino, people would say he was softened up by Morales.
Barrera is revving up for an April 9 mandatory defense of the World Boxing Council super-featherweight title against Mzonke Fana of South Africa at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.
Pacquiao had handed Barrera the worst beating of his career when the two squared off in Nov. 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.
Barrera had insisted that he had too many distractions going into that forgettable fight with Pacquiao, citing the forest fires in Southern California (site of his training headquarters) and the medical leakage regarding his brain operation just days before his scheduled brawl with Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is penciled to return to action sometime in July in preparation for a rematch with Morales in September or October.
Analysing Pacquiao;?s recent fight, Barrera said he knew his countryman would beat the Filipino.
“I think Pacquiao should accept defeat because Morales was the better man that night,” Barrera told the website fightnews.com. “I knew that Morales was going to win the fight before it took place.”
