Sources in Mexico say that Marco Antonio Barrera underwent brain surgery in 1997 and has been fighting with a metal plate in his head ever since.
The surgery, known as a craniotomy, took place after Barrera’s second bout against Junior Jones and was related to a congenital defect; not the fight itself. Barrera’s skull was opened, an abnormal vein was removed, and a metal plate to protect the area was affixed with screws inside his skull. Barrera has fought fifteen times since then and established himself as one of the best fighters in boxing. His most notable bouts have been a loss to Erik Morales in 2000, a win over Naseem Hamed in 2001, and a victory over Morales in their 2002 rematch. All three of these bouts took place in Nevada.
