Pacquiao decisions Barrera

07.10.07 - by James Slater, photo by Naoki Fukuda - Though I also experienced some of the same problems ESB's Ted Sares encountered, via the T.V coverage, when watching Manny Pacquaio's return encounter with Marco Antonio Barrera - due to a transmission that was affected because of lack of pictures at times - I saw practically all of last night's action. Certainly enough to see that both men put on a performance that was far lower in quality than was expected - especially in "Pac-Man's" case.

Though he won by wide (too wide, in this writer's opinion) scores from two of the three judges that gave him a unanimous decision, Manny lacked both intensity and fire. He also appeared to lack the ability to listen to trainer Freddie Roach in the corner at times. Indeed, last night's win was achieved by a less than spectacular and great looking Pacquaio. Sure, he is still a fine, fine fighter. But for the first time in a long while he had the appearance of a beatable fighter.

For his part, Barrera was content to hear the final bell and this was reflected in his decent - but no way near aggressive enough - performance. As such, the bout was something of a disappointment - a disappointment, judging by the majority of posts left by Eastside readers, that was felt by more than a few fans last night.

What now for "Pac-Man" then? Barrera, we know, has announced his retirement. And unlike with some other fighters we could mention Marco's announcement will more than likely stick. But Manny, aged just 28, clearly has more fighting left in him. Whoever he fights next, however, will more than likely have taken a lot of confidence from what they saw from him last night. Juan Manuel Marquez, for example, should he get what he wants in a rematch, will surely feel he will win second time around. Pacquaio boxed Barrera's fight, at the older man's pace, for long periods in the fight last night. Marquez, who out-boxed Manny for long stretches in their first fight, had he been in there with last night's Filipino star, may well have devastated all of Manny's loving and devoted fans by besting him on the scorecards.

The question does indeed arrive, has Pacquiao lost enough of his fire to be taken? His energy level didn't look what it has in the past and he showed Marco way too much respect. And this was an old Barrera, after all. Why didn't Pacquiao jump right on the Mexican veteran as he did back in late 2003? Something just wasn't the same with Manny last night, that much cannot be denied. Sure, it's possible "Pac-Man" simply had an off night - the result of having trained over in the Philippines for this fight, as apposed to the usual method of getting ready full time in L.A. If, however, Manny has lost a step or two it could be good news for the rest of the super-featherweight division. A class of fighters it once appeared Manny would have next to no problem with.

There will certainly be a lot riding on "Pac-Man's" next outing.

All that is left to add is to wish Marco Antonio Barrera good luck in his retirement. He didn't exactly go out on his shield last night. But he did at least have the satisfaction of going the distance, something not too many experts felt he'd be able to do going in.

By Matthew Hurley: At the post fight press conference for Marco Antonio Barrera – Manny Pacquiao, Barrera maintained a level of dignity throughout the proceedings but couldn’t resist getting in a dig at his two time conqueror when he invited WBA super featherweight champion Edwin Valero onto the dais. When asked by a reporter if he thought anyone could beat Pacquiao, Barrera gestured over his shoulder and said loudly, “Valero."

Despite what appeared to be a genuine respect between Barrera and Pacquiao make no mistake, deep down Barrera will forever resent Pacquiao and while his hyping of Valero may in the end help make that intriguing match up possible it was a rather classless thing to do particularly after Pacquiao praised Barrera to the hilt; this despite Barrera’s rather lackluster showing. Pacquiao, who always seems to exude a genuine positive attitude and a healthy respect for his opponents, later remarked that he didn’t appreciate Barrera’s comments, but he said that with that ever-present grin on his face. It’s interesting to contrast Barrera’s sometimes-dirty ring tactics and unwillingness to give his opponents credit with his more emotional nemesis Erik Morales. The temperaments of both fighters mirror their fighting style. Barrera became more tactical as his career progressed while Erik wore his heart on his sleeve and thought of the fans first, even if it got him into to trouble in the ring. So it comes as little surprise that not only did Erik acknowledge Manny’s superiority at the end of their trilogy but even made several comical beer commercials with him.

But the issue ultimately comes down to what Pacquiao will do in 2008. According to his trainer Freddie Roach quite a lot is planned. The first thing that trainer and fighter decided on was that the “Pac Man” will remain at 130 pounds. The decision represents both common sense and monetary gain. There are several good fights to be made in the super featherweight division and all of them will bring Pacquiao substantial paydays. As for jumping up to the lightweight division there is a latent fear that it just might be one division too high. Remember, Pacquiao started his career as a flyweight. Pacquiao may sacrifice power and some speed if he attempts another weight jump.

There is also pride at stake. Again, Pacquiao didn’t take kindly to Barrera’s remarks. It’s also interesting to not that both Morales and Barrera used Valero as a sparing partner – Morales before his first fight with Pacquiao and Barrera for their rematch.

“I felt challenged by Barrera’s statement that Valero can beat me. So I’ve decided to stay here for the moment and take the challenge,” he said.

Roach added, “There are a lot of big fights at 130. There’s the winner of the Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez fight and the winner of Humberto Soto and Joan Guzman fight.”

In the end the news is good because it will provide several compelling match ups for arguably the most exciting fighter in the sport. The plan is also to fight three times in 2008, which is even better.

Did Barrera make a good account of himself?

By Geoffrey Ciani: Boxing fans witnessed the final chapter in the illustrious career of Mexican legend, Marco Antonio Barrera, when he lost a unanimous decision in his rematch with Manny Pacquiao last weekend. Going into this bout, most observers in the boxing community assumed Barrera would once again lose against the relentless Pacquiao and the majority opinion prevailed.

This begs the question: Did Marco Antonio Barrera make a good account for himself in his farewell bout?

The answer to this question largely depends on one’s expectations going into the bout. Essentially, there are two schools of thought. On one hand, there are those who feel Barrera did not take enough risks to try and win the bout. People from this group tend to believe Marco simply showed up to “survive” with no intentions of winning.

On the other hand, there are those who feel Barrera did an outstanding job imposing his will on Pacquiao. People from this group believe that Barrera did everything in his power to keep things competitive to try and reverse the outcome of their first bout, which was disastrous for Barrera.

So which side is correct? To quote Abe Simpson, a little from column A and a little from column B.

It is true that Barrera did not take enough risks to try and win the fight. Earlier in his career Barrera was largely defined by his eagerness to take risks. Many a time throughout his career, Barrera would put himself in harm’s way just to get an opportunity to do some damage unto his opponent. In his rematch against Pacquiao, risk-taking was down to a minimum, so in that regard, critics of his final performance have a good point.

However, whenever a fighter makes a calculated risk, there is a tradeoff. In this case, taking a risk might well have given Barrera an opportunity to inflict more damage, but on the flipside, such risks would have put Barrera in harm’s way, leading to a possible knockout loss. Considering such, is it fair to say Barrera showed up to survive with no intentions of winning? I am not so sure.

The first time these two squared off, Barrera suffered a tremendous beating. I believe his goal going into this bout was to take matters into the later rounds and roll the dice. In that sense, I believe he did come to ‘survive’, but that does not necessarily mean he did not come to win. By surviving into the later rounds, Barrera gave himself the best chance he had to create opportunities. Unfortunately for Barrera, Pacquiao is a more intelligent boxer than many give him credit for.

By limiting his own mistakes and not getting reckless, Pacquiao limited Barrera’s opportunities. Barrera succeeded in prolonging the fight to maximize his chances of finding opportune moments while Pacquio succeeded in limiting such opportunities. The result is the fight that we got. In that sense, both fighters deserve credit for their patience and ring intelligence.

When one considers the devastating fashion with which Barrera was stopped in their first encounter, I am hard-pressed to see how anyone can genuinely criticize his efforts. After all, he managed to go the distance against a younger, stronger, and faster foe without ever being in serious trouble. Compared to the way their first bout ended (when Barrera himself was much younger and crisper), I think he fought a very intelligent fight and deserves all the credit in the world.

Farewell, Marco! And thank you for all the memories.

Barrera And Morales – The Hall Of Fame Awaits

By Matthew Hurley: With his defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao complete Marco Antonio Barrera decided to call it a career. Finishing a Hall of Fame run with a final professional boxing record of 63-6 (42) Barrera’s departure comes on the heels of the retirement of his greatest rival Erik Morales. Morales 48-6 (34), also a first ballot hall of famer, retired after losing a close decision to David Diaz in August. That the two men who stalked each other for nearly a decade and did battle in three epic wars retired in the same year signifies the end of a remarkable era in boxing.

Barrera and Morales were only part of a group of fighters who dominated the sport but all of them, from Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley to Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones to Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas, are now long in the tooth and will soon be hanging up the gloves. All of them provided excitement and intrigue but there was something truly special about “The Baby Faced Assassin” and “El Terrible."

Both were tremendously gifted and both possessed a fighting spirit that inspired their Mexican countrymen. And when they fought each other in their epic first bout in February of 2000 they crossed over and became mainstream boxing stars. That first fight, won by Morales, made them pay per view attractions. They would engage in thrilling contests with other fighters, Barrera with Kennedy McKinney and Prince Naseem Hamed; Morales with Daniel Zaragoza and Manny Pacquiao, but it was when they stepped into the ring together that the sparks truly blazed. It also helped that the man from Mexico City, Barrera, and the man from Tijuana, Morales, couldn’t stand each other.

Their first bout was the fight of the year for 2000. It was a close, brutal contest that many felt Barrera edged but Morales took by split decision. Their second bout in 2002 was more tactical but no less intense. Again, it was close and this time many felt Morales edged it but Barrera got the unanimous decision. Their third bout equaled their first in terms of ferocity and was named fight of the year for 2004. Despite finishing strong Morales lost a majority decision and, perhaps, bragging rights as to who the better fighter was.

Morales watched with glee when Manny Pacquiao dismantled Barrera in eleven one-sided rounds in 2003. He perhaps took Barrera a little lightly in their rubber match one year later. His pride stung he saw only one opportunity to one-up Barrera. Morales signed on immediately after that loss to fight the dreaded Filipino whirlwind and provided, arguably, his last great performance in winning a clear cut unanimous decision. That was basically all Morales had left. He fought Pacquiao twice more and threw everything he had at the rising star but lost by knockout both times. He dropped a lazy decision to cutie Zahir Raheem and then gave it one last shot against David Diaz, nearly pulling it off, before losing a close, and some would argue, disputed decision.

After losing so badly to Pacquiao many thought Barrera was on the downside of his career but he rebounded, as he always seemed to do, and beat Morales in that third bout. He then struggled down the remaining path of his career but managed put on a boxing clinic against Rocky Juarez in their rematch and fight evenly for most of his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez before dropping a decision. He would lose again to Pacquiao and announce his retirement.

There is more than a twinge of sadness among boxing fans to see two such staples of the sport retire at virtually the same time, but it seems appropriate. Their names are forever linked together. They provided endless thrills for their fans and seemed to have left the sport with their senses in tact and money in the bank. All that awaits them is the Hall of Fame, and wouldn’t you know it, should they remain true to their retirement, they will walk into Canastota on the same day; snarling at each other, no doubt.