Seven and a half months after beating Marco Antonio Barrera around like he stole something, Manny Pacquiao is ready to repeat that flawless effort, possibly sometime this fall. This development has many observers and fans wondering why Pacquiao would have any interest whatsoever in fighting a man against whom he has already proven his superiority in a way that was about as comprehensive as one could imagine. The reasons are several, but perhaps foremost among them is that although there are several big name opponents that Pacquiao could potentially seek out, Barrera happens to be the only one who is free at the moment and also willing to fight him.
Juan Manuel Marquez was separated from his senses early when he took on the tough Filipino this May, and despite heroically fighting on to a draw in the face of three first round knockdowns, has seemed almost completely indifferent to the prospect of a rematch with Pac-Man. In fact, he is already slated to fight Orlando Salido in September. Marquez’ reluctance to fight Pacquiao again is mystifying, especially considering that many who watched what could turn out to be the fight of the year feel that Marquez would pick up where he left off and dominate Pacquiao. Many also felt that Marquez exposed Pacquiao as a one-dimensional fighter, who relies solely on his quick and powerful straight left. Bottom line, however, is that Marquez passed on a potentially lucrative big money rematch and slammed the door on that possibility, for the time being at least. Strike one.
Erik Morales, who now resides four pounds north of Pacquiao at super featherweight, could still be an option. Again, however, Morales is currently tied up as he will be challenging Carlos ?Famoso? Hernandez in what will be a WBC-IBF unification bout. A battle with Morales, however, would also be a very good draw as both fighters are known for the action they provide within the ropes. It would be an intriguing matchup as well, given how Morales struggled against Barrera and Pacquiao handled the ?Baby Faced Assassin? with ease. Morales is the naturally bigger man, but after he was badly shaken up by Jesus Chavez in his initial fight at the 130 pound limit, one would have to question his resiliency if nailed with Pacquiao’s left. For now, that fight too will have to wait. Strike two.
There is also In Jin Chi, of South Korea, who gave Morales fits when they fought before. That fight might be worth something to Pacquiao, since Chi holds the WBC featherweight title. Maybe not, though, since Pacquiao holds the respected recognition of The Ring Magazine as champion, as well as that of ?people’s champion.? Pacquiao vs. Chi might draw well in the Far East, but as far as big name exposure in the United States, Chi has zilch.
Then there are the wildcards like Scott Harrison, who is a very popular brawler from the U.K., Derrick Gainer and Rocky Juarez. Harrison, however, has lost to the ancient Manuel Medina, although he emphatically reversed that result in a rematch. NO ONE wants to see Gainer anymore after his ?classic? non-effort against Marquez, and Juarez, although he may be the future of the division, is still probably a little too green for Pacquiao. Like In Jin Chi, none of these opponents are likely to cause much of a stir in the United States. Strike three.
Which leaves us back at Barrera. Ever since exploding onto the scene back in 1996 with a dramatic last round knockout win over Kennedy McKinney on HBO’s inaugural edition of Boxing After Dark, Barrera has captured the imagination of the boxing public. He has risen from the dead on one occasion before, after back to back losses to Junior Jones, and undoubtedly the people will want to see whether he has it in him to bounce back once more. Barrera has already made a few believers with his dominant knockout performance over Paulie Ayala on June 19, and there are still those who believe that distractions outside the ring may have inhibited Barrera inside the ring the first time around against Pacquiao.
From a business perspective, this fight makes perfect sense for Pacquiao. Both he and Barrera have tremendous fan bases among their own respective countries and within the United States as well. With that equation, you can chalk it down as an instant pay per view success. For his legacy, however, Pacquiao will have to pick on someone else if he wishes to advance further in the minds of fans and experts. He has no one to blame but himself. He left no room for improvement when he picked on Barrera in the first place.
