Barrera vs Juarez Preview

18.05.06 – By Geoffrey Ciani: “I have never doubted my talent, my potential and my heart, stepping into the ring against any fighter” These were the words spoken by challenger Rocky Juarez as he prepares for his championship bout Saturday night against WBC super featherweight champion of the world – Marco Antonio Barrera. Unfortunately for Juarez, Barrera isn’t just any fighter; he is the Baby Faced Assassin.

Under normal circumstances, this should be a fight which Barrera should have few problems winning. Juarez is an exciting but limited fighter. His best weapons are his left hook (which packs some decent pop) and his willingness to fight. He’s also a fairly decent boxer with pretty good counter-punching skills. However, Juarez can and has been out-boxed in the past, and by no means is he on the level of an elite fighter like Barrera. Beyond this, Barrera is a living legend who has been fighting the best fighters in the 122 to 130 pound range for more than a decade.

Indeed, on paper, this is a contest for which logic would predict that Juarez stands absolutely no chance of winning. But alas, such is the beauty of boxing! After all, on paper, Cassius Clay didn’t stand a chance against Sonny Liston and there was absolutely no doubt that “Iron” Mike Tyson was going to knockout Buster Douglas. Anything and everything can happen in professional sports, and this is especially true of the sweet science.

So what does Juarez have to do to win this bout against Barrera? In my mind, there’s only one thing he can really do, and that is: pray that Barrera gets old overnight!

Frankly, that’s the only way I can really see Juarez standing much of a chance in this one. Barrera is simply his superior in every way, shape, and form. Additionally, Juarez has been beaten by lesser fighters in the past. He lost a unanimous decision at the hands of a game Humberto Sutto and many boxing fans feel he was given a gift decision against Zahir Raheem (including me). Be that as it may, there’s still a chance, albeit a slim one, that Juarez’s prayers may just be answered. Keeping things in perspective, Barrera is a very old fighter, especially for his weight class.

Historically, fighters at this weight class don’t often make it beyond the age of 30 while maintaining an elite status. There are exceptions of course, and Barrera himself is one of them. Many will probably remember that he has already twice been written off in the past after a pair losses to Junior Jones and one against Manny Pacquiao. But after these losses, Barrera proved his critics wrong by returning to elite status – that’s what makes him a living legend and that’s what makes the task at hand for Juarez such a daunting one.

I suspect that Barrera will tactically outbox Juarez, comfortably winning rounds as he coasts to a fairly easy decision, possibly stopping Juarez late in the bout. To be sure, I do suspect that Juarez will have his moments and I believe this fight could be entertaining at times. If Juarez can land his money punch and hurt Barrera, we may even be in for a brawl. But I suspect Barrera will use his superior skills to tame Juarez and control the pace of the fight.

In any case, if Barrera wins, it should set-up two more mega-bouts before MAB calls it a career. He’s already slated for a fight in November, and should he win that, a finale match-up against the winner of the rubber match between Morales and Pacquiao seems like a logical move. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a rematch with Pacman or a fourth bout with his career rival, Erik El Terrible Morales?

In any case, this should prove to be an interesting bout. Be sure to stay tuned for HBO Championship Boxing this Saturday night!