Who would you include on a list of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time? Surely, there would be Julio Caesar Chavez, most likely at number one. You?d have to have Salvador Sanchez, whose life was tragically cut short by a car accident, not far behind.
If you were to look at more recent fighters, you would most likely think of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, two of the most accomplished fighters of this generation.
Some might rank these fighters as high as three and four, but for Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5-1, 42 KOs) 11 and 12 sounds better. Barrera disclosed his list in a recent media conference call. The most surprising part is he placed long time bitter rival Morales ahead of him at 11.
What?s not surprising is that the future hall-of-famer is thinking about his legacy. He?s made it clear that he will be hanging up his gloves soon, most likely before the year is out.
?My mind is set,? the Mexico City warrior said through a translator. ?This is the last big fight I?m doing. If I do lace them up again after this fight, it?s going to be for a retirement fight and it?s not going to be against a top-level guy.?
His last big fight is against arguably the best pound for pound fighter Manny Pacquiao (44-3-2, 35 KOs). If you?ve been watching boxing since 2003, you know that the Filipino sensation handed Barrera the most devastatingly one-sided loss of his career.
So why would someone like Barrera, an eighteen-year veteran with a guaranteed spot at Canastota, not to mention a cushy job with Golden Boy promotions, take on a young monster, who has only improved since besting a 29 year old Barrera? The answer is he?s pretty sure he?s going to win.
Since his first comeback fight against Paulie Ayala, Barrera has been saying he just had a bad night against Pacquiao. He repeated it when he beat Erik Morales in their third fight (and second fight of the year). And he repeated it again during this conference call.
He stated confidently, ?sometimes experience beats a young guy that?s at his peak. And that?s what I have. I have a lot of experience. And it?s not whether I can get up to my A game or to his level. It?s about using my experience and doing my plan of fight and that?s what can help me to be victorious.?
What that plan is exactly, the Baby Faced Assassin won?t disclose, so we can only speculate. But he did say, ?There?s not too much I can change. I?m thirty-three years old?I have my style.?
This could mean one of two things. That Barrera is in for a second ?bad night? on October 6th or he?s going to be less distracted this time around and use his style to effectively stifle Pacquiao?s attack.
This may happen. Anyone who saw both fights with Rocky Juarez knows Barrera can adjust to an aggressive style, and slow down the pace of the fight, throwing off a younger challenger.
Still while Rocky Juarez is a solid fighter, he is not Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao?s aggression is non-stop and his punches are some of the hardest in the game today. They were too much for Barrera to handle last time, and many experts think the Mexican legend will fold under the pressure for a second time.
But Barrera is counting on that. His translator said on his behalf, ?it?s the motivation that gets him up for these fights. The motivation of the naysayers, the people that are putting him down?He says I like to shut their mouth.?
If he is at the top of his game, he may be able to do it. Another thing on Barrera?s side is that it seems Manny Pacquiao may be a little unfocused for this fight, especially training in the Philippines where he is a superstar.
Ironically, it was Barrera who was distracted before the first fight, citing a fire in his training camp and a controversy surrounding surgery on his brain from years earlier.
Interestingly, after Barrera?s only other loss that did not go the distance, his first fight against Junior Jones, it was revealed that there had been kidnapping threats against members of his family. Perhaps Barrera is a fighter who needs everything in place out of the ring to perform on fight night.
If Barrera is as focused as he says he is, Manny Pacquiao may just have his hands full Saturday night.
