Marco Antonio Barrera W12 Erik Morales: A raging, passionate personal hatred helped fuel the third, sizzling installment of one of the all-time great trilogies. Even the most hardened ringside observers could only watch in awe as Barrera and Morales went at each other with furious intent, harkening back to their epic first fight in 2000.
Barrera had the early upper hand, giving Morales a bloody nose. Morales came on strong late as Barrera began to fade. All the while, they took turns landing huge punches, going for broke.
Although there were no knockdowns, there was plenty of skill and heart on display, including in the wild 11th round and the almost as exciting 12th. As the breathtaking fight came to a close, HBO’s Jim Lampley summed it up: “They’ll savagely trade until the final bell! My God what a fight! … What these two guys have given to the sport can’t be quantified.” Fight No. 4 anyone?
Other unforgettables
Juan Manuel Marquez D12 Manny Pacquiao: Knocked down three times in the opening round, featherweight champ Marquez bravely survived and made a remarkable comeback in a classic fight that would claim top honors in most years. It was a dramatic, action-packed brawl that left both men bloodied and claiming victory.
Felix Trinidad TKO8 Ricardo Mayorga: Trinidad’s return from a 29-month retirement and a rocking, pro-Tito crowd at Madison Square Garden were the backdrops for a fight between prideful brawlers. Mayorga scored a third-round knockdown, and his huge heart kept him in it until Trinidad closed the show with three knockdowns in the eighth round of an exhilarating fight.
Scott Pemberton TKO10 Omar Sheika: In an all-action super middleweight rematch that was better than their 2003 fight, both hit the deck in this ESPN2 classic.
Daniel Edouard KO4 Willie Gibbs: Edouard was badly hurt in the first, Gibbs went down in the second but rallied in the third before Edouard finished him in style in this middleweight brawl.
Brian Minto KO10 Vinnie Maddalone: This ESPN2 co-feature was probably the best heavyweight scrap of the year as they traded with abandon until Minto finally ended it.
Danny Williams KO4 Mike Tyson: It was bombs away from the opening bell as is typical of Tyson fights. But Williams, a big underdog, survived the initial assault to dish out his own pain. Finally, Williams felled Tyson, who sat on the mat for the count with an injured knee as blood trickled from a cut over his eye.
Manuel Gomez D10 Hector Quiroz: TeleFutura’s best fight was a barnburner as the Mexican warriors smashed each other for 10 close rounds.
