Nearly four years after their memorable previous fight, Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera meet again in Las Vegas this weekend.
They square up in Mandalay Bay for a 12-round bout at the junior lightweight limit, with no title at stake.
The action will be live on SuperSport 5, with coverage starting at 03:00 SA time on Sunday.
Pacquiao, a Filipino southpaw with a record of 44-3-2, including 35 stoppages, is rated by many as the hardest hitter, pound for pound, in boxing at the moment.
Trained by Freddie Roach, he has great hand speed that, coupled with accurate punching, adds to his crowd appeal.
Pacquiao, 28, goes straight at his opponent, throwing hooks and stunning left crosses, from the first bell.
Since he stopped Barrera in the eleventh round in November 2003, Pacquiao has drawn against Juan Manuel Marquez and stopped Fahsan 3K Battery in three rounds before being outpointed by Erik Morales.
Since those three fights he has looked sensational in outpointing Oscar Larios and then stopping Hector Velazquez, Erik Morales twice, and Jorge Solis.
The Filipino has held the WBC flyweight, WBO super bantamweight and IBF super bantamweight titles.
In his first fight with Barrera, “Pacman” Pacquiao recorded the biggest win of his career, knocking down Barrera twice before stopping him in a one-sided fight.
A superb athlete who throws accurate power shots with both hands, Pacquiao is a formidable opponent. His best punch is his right hook, to which Morales and Barrera had no answer.
However, Pacquiao?s defence can be leaky at times. He gets caught and has been knocked down a few times.
The 33-year-old Barrera (63-5; 42), from Mexico City, is nearing the end of his career. He is a good example of a boxer/puncher and a former three-time WBO super bantamweight champion, IBO and WBC featherweight and WBC super featherweight champion.
Barrera, destined to be inducted into boxing’s Hall of Fame, has a record of 19 wins and 4 losses in world title fights.
Since losing to Pacquiao in 2003, he has beaten Paulie Ayala, Erik Morales, Mzonke Fana, Robbie Peden and Rocky Juarez twice.
In his most recent outing, in March this year, he lost his WBC super featherweight belt to Juan Manuel Marquez, who beat him by unanimous decision in a fight that appeared closer than the official scorecards suggested.
Barrera has power in both hands and is a highly skilled fighter. However, after a number of real wars in recent years and being four years older than he was in their previous bout, some factors could count against him.
It is doubtful whether Barrera can stay away from the powerful right hooks and stinging left crosses of Pacquiao for 12 rounds.
Pacquiao should stop the fading Mexican in one of later rounds but Barrera is intent on turning the tables.
He will bank on the fact that The Pacman has been involved in politics and television shows that might have distracted him from his boxing career.
