Unlike most seasoned ring experts, Marco Antonio Barrera has picked Mexican arch foe Erik Morales to beat Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao again when they collide on January 21 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Morales will dominate in an easy fight,” Barrera said in an interview on a boxing Web site Thursday.
“I want to fight the winner of [next month’s fight] and I think that will be Erik Morales. Morales is not shot, forget about his last [performance], he was not motivated, did not train hard and was fighting too heavy [weighing in as a lightweight],” Barrera said.
Known as the “Baby-Faced Assassin,” Barrera absorbed a comprehensive beating at the hands of Pacquiao on November 15, 2003 in front of a predominantly Mexican crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
To prevent Barrera from suffering further punishment, his handlers literally threw in the towel before the start of the 12th and final round.
On the other hand, Barrera won by majority decision over Morales in their third grudge match on November 27, 2004, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas — and is apparently looking for another return bout.
Barrera disclosed that Golden Boy Promotions, headed by boxing heartthrob Oscar De La Hoya, offered Morales to fight him in September “but he [Morales] declined the fight.”
Morales is handled by Top Rank Promotions, led by Bob Arum.
With his latest victory over his compatriot, Barrera said he has proven that he is the best Mexican boxer of his generation, and that fighting Morales for a fourth time was because ring fans demanded it.
“Morales has said 2006 is the year of his revenge but how can he seek revenge when the best he can do is [draw level] at 2-2?” he asked.
“My victory [to go up 2-1 in the series] was one of the most important in my career because I won the trilogy. Boxing history is filled with trilogies and I won mine with Morales. Revenge is not something Morales will get so easily, but a fourth fight is something all the fans want to see.”
“It is a sportsmanlike rivalry,” Barrera added. “Oscar is promoting fighters differently, he is doing it differently and he has a style of promoting that is new and exciting. Whenever Golden Boy fights a Top Rank fighter we win so we don’t take the rivalry that seriously.”
“Golden Boy will come out on top on Top Rank again in 2006 when I go 3-1 against Morales.”
