Marco Antonio Barrera has promised to roll back the years and put on a vintage display against Juan Manuel Marquez.
The pair square off in an all-Mexican clash for the WBC Super-Featherweight title and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 17.
Barrera admits this is likely to be his penultimate fight but even at 33 and with 68 contests behind him, he is ready to produce the type of blockbusting display that has made him a modern-day great.
The vow came in response to criticism of his performance last time out against Rocky Juarez – a comfortable points win.
The Baby Faced Assassin said the plan was to box him all along and teach him a lesson, but now the three-weight world champion is ready to get back to what he knows best.
“I’m going back to being the Marco Barrera that I’ve always been know for,” he told Boxingtalk.com through a translator.
“I’m planning to go toe-to-toe in this fight and I want to give the fans and everybody in attendance a great, great performance and a great fight. So I’m ready to go toe-to-toe from the first bell until the end of the 12th round.
“Marquez made some comments in Mexico that he’s going to knock me out within six rounds.
“Well if he’s going to knock me out he’s going to have to stand and fight and he’s going to have to modify his boxing style because he’s known as a counter-puncher.”
Barrera also revealed that he is planning just one more fight after facing his near neighour (there is, he says “one stop light” between their respective towns of Iztacalco and Iztapalapa).
He has talked of retiring for some time now and the end of a glittering career looks like it is coming – providing he beats Marquez.
And as it has been since his shock 2003 defeat to the Filipino, Manny Pacquiao’s name was not far from his thoughts, even admitting that he wanted a rematch ahead of a meeting with Marquez.
“I never really thought about fighting Juan,” he said.
“The fight I really wanted was Mann Pacquiao. Obviously Manny was not available so I went for the next best thing and you know, he’s a fighrer at the level Manny is – and that’s whay I took it.”
