Last November following the trilogy that was Morales-Pacquaio III, most observers and aficionados of the sport would never have given the great Marco Antonio Barrera a chance to defeat the tornado that is the Pacman. After his destruction of “El Terrible”, many characters within the media picked Pacquiao to dethrone Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the true number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I can’t honestly say that I agree with them due to the vision I have of the “Pretty Boy” wiping the floor with Manny had they ever faced off at 130 pounds. However, I will say that at this point in M&M’s (Manny & Marco) careers, the “Baby Faced Assassin” has a great shot at dethroning this little beast from the far east.
While Manny always tends to fights with a certain hunger and determination that is virtually unseen of today, he won’t be facing the same Barrera he fought in Texas back in November, 2003. It’s been well documented that the Mexico City legend dealt with a slew of “issues” leading up to their showdown in San Antonio starting with the heavily publicized topic of Marco’s metal plate located inside his cranium. Leading up to the bout there were many critics questioning whether the then Ring Magazine featherweight champion should even be competing. I recall an interview conducted with HBO specifically regarding this issue. If you’re human, which Barrera is, there’s no way that this doesn’t affect your mentality throughout training camp and the days leading up the fight. Not to mention that his Big Bear training camp was interrupted due to an evacuation due to the fires of the Southern California.
Let me make one thing very clear. I hate being misinterpreted.
I’m not saying that if Barrera hadn’t had suffered those distractions and the interruption of his training camp that he would have dominated the southpaw slugger. I’m not even saying that he would narrowly cruise his way to a decision victory. All I’m saying is that the Barrera of that night wasn’t at this physical or mental best in any way, shape, or form. A determined and focused Marco Antonio Barrera is never a fighter to be overlooked or underestimated by anybody. This includes the man that put the multiple time champion through the most brutal beating he’s ever taken throughout his eighteen year career. Ricardo Lois admitted to me that he cried that night as he watched his beloved Barrera crack under the ridiculously intense pressure that was Pacquiao that night.
Should the issues between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank eventually get ironed out, October 6 might be a very special day for us boxing fans as both warriors will lay it out all on the line and give us some closure to a hotly contested topic among the various boxing circles. While I’d definitely make Manny Pacquiao the favorite somewhere along the -200 region, to dismiss a living legend like Marco Antonio Barrera would not only be irresponsible but also completely ridiculous. We all saw what the great Erik Morales brought out of Barrera as the two had a long-time grudge in progress which created the spark that caused Marco to elevate his game to another level. I feel that the “Baby Faced Assassin” has one more great performance left in him and when coupled with the Pacman’s more than intense fighting style will create a great storyline for a future HBO segment of Legendary Nights.
Two legends settling an overdue score? That almost sounds like a movie in the making…
