Exactly one year after he was demolished by Manny Pacquiao at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera vowed that his keenly-awaited rematch on Nov. 27 with the Filipino boxing champion will be an entirely different thing.
For the former world featherweight king, it will be payback time.
“The first time it was about competition, to be the best,” said Barrera in an interview with Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com. “This time it is about revenge.”
Shunning a third confrontation with the classy Erik Morales, Barrera decided to settle an old score instead with Pacquiao.
This was revealed the other day by Pacquiao?s American promoter Murad Muhammad, who informed another boxing website ? Boxingtalk ? that “based on his discussions with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaeffer, he believes the Barrera camp is leaning towards the Pacquiao rematch over a third fight with Morales.”
Muhammad, who steered Pacquiao?s US campaign which involved winning the IBF superbantam crown and then knocking out the erstwhile great Barrera last Nov. 15 in San Antonio, Texas, intimated that the date being put in consideration is Nov. 27 on an HBO pay-per-view.
If plans do not miscarry, Muhammad is expected to announce the prize money soon as well as the venue of the fight although it was reported that the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is among the frontrunner sites of the rematch. Other venues being considered are those in San Francisco and Los Angeles since the two fighters have big following in the areas.
Earlier, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said that Morales would most likely face Barrera in November right after the Morales-Carlos Hernandez bout for the WBC and IBF junior lightweight titles. Morales prevailed on a unanimous decision to make himself a dual champ at 130 lbs.
Pacquiao, together with younger brother Bobby, the reigning Philippine junior lightweight champ and young phenom Z Gorres of Cebu, are scheduled to leave for the United States in early September to hook up with trainer Freddie Roach at the latter?s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Outclassed and outboxed until he was stopped in the 11th round of the scheduled 12-round bout that catapulted Pacquiao to the top of the world boxing stage, Barrera said he will train very seriously this time and will come into the ring well-prepared and in full focus.
“I will train very hard and I will be very prepared. I am focused on reclaiming my position (pound for pound) in boxing,” said Barrera.
That loss had the fans write off Barrera off the boxing map with some experts even hinting that the Mexican champion had gotten old and should hang up the gloves.
In fact, Barrera?s trainer said after the Pacquiao fight that he did not want his ward to fight again.
But great boxers just do not fade away as Barrera came out smoking in his June comeback and whipped Paulie Ayala in dominating fashion. It was the first time that Ayala had been stopped in his entire career.
