BARRERA ON A GRACEFUL EXIT
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Oct 2007
In my previous article on philboxing.com dated October 6, 2007 entitled ?Barrera, the Great Mexican Legend,? I described Marco Antonio Barrera as a fighter trying to prove himself that the first loss to Manny Pacquiao was attributed to several distractions. ?Revenge is the name of the game and Mexican warriors never just fade without waging a war,? goes the conclusion of the article.
For this fight, Barrera trained in Guadalajara under the supervision of his brother Jorge Barrera, a former boxer, and long-time assistant trainer Sendai Tanaka. One remarkable distinction was hiring WBA junior lightweight titleholder Edwin Valero as a sparring partner. Valero is a speedy left-handed power puncher just like Pacquiao.
In fact, some experts said it?s a role reversal where Barrera has been diligently practicing in Guadalajara while the Filipino champion is busy with business affairs and other disturbances. When the smoke cleared after 12 rounds of their WBC international championship last Saturday, Pacquiao declared, ?It was different from the first fight. He is a fine boxer.? Trainer Freddie Roach also praised The Baby-faced Assassin. ?He surprised me that he lasted all 12 rounds. He has a lot of heart and guts.?
Barrera himself also admired The Pacman who handed his only knockout loss in his entire career during their 2003 encounter. ?This was my last fight. He?s especially fast and powerful.? The fight is billed as his farewell match. Pacquiao fought at Barerra's technical tempo and thus he allowed him to survive. There were no knockdowns and knockouts in the fight contrary to what millions of fans had expected.
The future Hall-of-Famer who in an 18-year professional career won world titles at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight while defeating some of the world?s great boxing champions. "He had very good defense, and it was hard to break through."
Although their hero was defeated, the result was satisfying for thousands of Mexican fans who cheered their 33-year-old hero as he left the ring. Barrera refused to fall down against one of the boxing world?s knockout artists. He seemed to be at rage in the eleventh round when he hit Pacquiao during a break. Referee Tony Weeks deducted a point from Barrera for the foul.
There were moments where both fighters would exchange solid blows, but not consistently. Barrera looked very careful and Pacquiao showed him a lot of esteem by not rushing in with a hasty stance.
Both fighters raised their arms in jubilation at the end of the 12th round. But the cause of Barrera?s excitement seemed to be on staying on his foot all throughout the match and proving his critics wrong that Pacquiao will knock him out. Judge Tom Schreck scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao, while Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge both had the score also for Pacquiao, 118-109.
Pacquiao outpunched Barrera, 249-111. The GenSan hero connected 37 percent of his shots, while the Guadalajara native landed just 21 percent. There was no doubt Pacquiao will win the title fight as manifested by millions of fans who bet on him worldwide. Manny is still on the apex of his career while Se?or Marco is almost on the sunset.
But the outcome of the last fight proves Barrera is headed to a graceful exit. With the Mexican sports hero out to hang up his gloves, Pacquiao is set to fight on the lightweight division, having difficulty in coming up with the superfeatherweight limit.
Top photo: Mexican superstar Marco Antonio Barrera raises the hands of his children after announcing his retirement during the post press conference after his fight with Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao. Photo by Dr. Ed de la Vega.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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