Marquez Beats Barrera in a Twelve Round Classic

By Sean Ocampo

The fight definitely lived up to expectations as both fighters showed true Mexican pride in the ring. However, it was Marquez who got the better of the two by winning by a seriously tough unanimous decision. Two judges scored the fight 116-111 and one judge scored it 118-109, all in favor of the challenger Marquez. The win earned him his third world title in two divisions.

The fight of the year candidate started with a bang as both fighters trade punches in the middle of the ring with Marquez slightly getting better of the exchanges. Barrera had a slight edge over the challenger Marquez during the course of the second round up to the sixth round with his crisp left jab and effective flurries to steal the rounds to Marquez.

During the seventh round, Marquez caught Barrera with a clean right hand that completely staggered the champion. After smelling blood, Marquez assaulted the stunned Barrera with vicious combinations to head and to the body.

When Marquez appears to be cruising to a great round, the stunned Barrera suddenly caught the assaulting Marquez with a perfect counter right hand that floored Marquez. However, the supposed to be knockdown scored by Barrera was disregarded by referee Jay Nady after Barrera hit Marquez with another crisp right while Marquez was on his knee. The action by Barrera prompted Nady to deduct a point to the champion.

After the ecstatic seventh round, Marquez began to control the fight by beating Barrera to punch. The former Featherweight champion began to unleash tremendous shots that stymied Barrera. His much crisper punches and tremendous uppercuts landed with much better conviction than Barrera's.

During the final round, both fighter turned on the jets and began to exchange in the middle of the ring. However, it was Marquez who appears to be slightly aggressive than Barrera got the better of the exchanges.

Marquez's accuracy and effective power punching was the decisive factor in the fight as he demonstrated it to Barrera. Those factors got him the much deserved decision that finally solidified his name as one of the greatest fighters in Mexico.

Both fighters' faces showed how tough of a fight it was with both of their faces being swollen and bloodied. They both showed what boxing is all about and what it should be.

The defining victory for Marquez will now open gates for big fights particularly a rematch against Manny Pacquiao. However, with legal battle of Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions over Pacquiao this much anticipated rematch may have to wait a while longer.

Marquez may settle to a fight against WBO Champion Joan "Little Tyson" Guzman or WBA Champion Edwin "Inca" Valero, if Valero will be able to pass the medical exam in the United States.

As for the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera, he is perhaps on the twilight of his career but after his performance against Marquez I personally have second thoughts of him being a worn out fighter. He still has a punch that could turn a fight around and he has proven again that he could still bang against one of the hardest punchers in boxing.

Just to sum it all up, it was a tremendous fight with both fighters laying it all out in the ring just for pride and honor. A rematch between the two Mexican warriors is probable after seeing their respective performances.

Simply a great night in boxing... Enough said...

Marquez outworks Barrera

By Geoffrey Ciani

Saturday night, Juan Manuel Marquez outworked and out-hustled Marco Antonio Barrera en route to a unanimous decision victory. The highly anticipated match-up between these two great Mexican warriors was an exciting encounter with two of the best in the business. This victory might prove to be the career-defining fight for Juan Manuel Marquez, who has spent much of his time on the outside looking in.

The fight started out as a tactical battle which showcased the talents of both fighters. As the bout progressed and the fighters began getting a better feel for one another, the exchanges started heating up. For the most part, Marquez was getting the better of these exchanges, oftentimes both initiating and finishing them. Barrera was getting in his fair share of punches, but he simply wasn’t doing as much as Marquez.

At times, I got the impression that Barrera really didn’t want to be there. It was almost as if he was going through the motions without the prior passion he once possessed. He looked like he didn’t want to do what he knew he needed to do to win, as if this battle-worn pugilist wasn’t properly motivated to give himself the best chance at winning. Even still, his skill-level alone helped keep the bout competitive without the prior passion.

On the other hand, Marquez appeared extremely motivated and it was obvious he wanted to seize this opportunity. Having spent most of his career in relative obscurity, Marquez never celebrated the type of success that defined Barrera. As a result, he’s been largely underappreciated. Without a career-defining victory, Marquez realized he needed this fight if he wants to be remembered as a great boxer. Saturday night, he wasn’t about to let Barrera steal the spotlight once again.

The seventh round was probably the most exciting in the fight; it was highlighted by a straight right hand that rocked Barrera. Sensing his opponent was hurt, Marquez went in for the kill and began unloading a flurry of punches, when, out of nowhere, Barrera landed a perfectly timed cross that caught Marquez off-guard, dropping him to the canvas.

Inexplicably, Barrera then stood over the fallen Marquez and blasted him with another right hand. Even more inexplicably, referee Jay Nady ruled that the knockdown was a slip, before duly deducting a point from Barrera for his actions (and rightfully so). I have no idea what Jay Nady was looking at, but that “slip” was clearly a knockdown. Taking the foul into account, what should have been a 9-8 round in favor of Barrera had then become a 10-8 round in favor of Marquez.

In the end, Nady’s blunder had no impact on the final outcome. All of the judges’ scorecards unanimously saw Marquez as the victor, 118-109, 116-111, and 116-111. If Barrera was credited with the knockdown (as he should have been), Marquez still would have been awarded a unanimous decision victory, 116-110, 114-112, and 114-112. Incidentally, I scored the bout in favor of Marquez, 118-109.

There are already talks about a potential Barrera-Marquez rematch later this year. Frankly, I don’t see the point and I think it’s time for Barrera to consider hanging up the gloves. It was clear to me that he now lacks the passion that helped make him one of the greatest boxers of all-time. Without that passion, I don’t see how Barrera could do anything differently to reverse the outcome. Barrera still has all of the tools needed to beat Marquez, but he just doesn’t seem hungry enough.

In order for Barrera to win, he can’t try to outbox Marquez from the outside. Saturday night, Marquez’s biggest advantage over Barrera was distance. For the most part, whenever Barrera decided to close the gap, he was more successful. He just didn’t seem interested in closing the gap very often. Instead, he seemed content taking his chances from the outside where I believe he was at a disadvantage. Barrera seemed unwilling to pay the price for victory.

When Barrera fought his three wars with Erik Morales, he always did what he knew he needed to do to win; he was passionate and determined. Against Marquez, he didn’t do what he knew he needed to do, and therein lies the problem for Marco Antonio Barrera. Saturday night, Juan Manuel Marquez was the hungrier fighter.

Marquez-Barrera: Too great a boxing match to whine about bad officiating

By Alden "The Kid" Chodash: If there was reason to knock the great Barrera as a spent force for his two close and somewhat sub-par showings against Rocky Juarez, there is once again reason to consider him one of the best in the world in boxing after Saturday night. Same is true for Marquez, with the loss to Chris John and missed opportunities for a rematch with Pacquiao distant memories. We knew beforehand that both were fighting with something to prove. However, most had no idea that they would produce a fight this close, controversial, tumultuous, and needless to say, legendary.

The long-awaited bout began with a tremendous display of boxing skill put on by Barrera, using his jab to great effect and left hook in the trenches. Marquez began to score with his right hand in the fourth, a punch which eventually played a great role in the battle. The shot was very accurate, and when it landed it changed the flow of the bout momentarily.

Marquez had his most success with the right in the seventh when he had Barrera wobbly and sagging against the ropes. As the round concluded, it seemed as if Barrera had finally found his avenue of escape (the sound of the bell) from this vicious onslaught. However, with seconds left in the round, Barrera uncorked a right hand that downed Marquez, replays showing both his gloves touching the canvas. Barrera, stating afterwards that referee Jay Nady never pulled him off the downed fighter, took an illegal shot at Marquez which resulted in what appeared to be a "pivotal" point deduction (at least before the scores were read).

Marco Antonio Barrera showed his true legend as he amounted a comeback in the following rounds, actually winning most, and appearing to gain a small lead going into the final three rounds. After a hectic, evenly fought tenth, Barrera seemed to take the 11th off in search of rejuvenating new life to punctuate the bout in such fashion to retain his title. In the twelfth round, both put forth a great effort, both fighting as if they were unaware of their place in the fight, and both fighting hard for all three minutes. It was a difficult round to score and the decision seemed to be inevitably controversial because you could make a strong case that either man had won the bout.

The decision turned out to be very controversial, not because of the victor, but because of the lopsidedness of the scoring. Marquez had won the title and, although the scores weren't exactly realistic, he deserves all the credit in the world of defeating one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing.

For Barrera, you'd hate to see his legendary career end after what appears to be unfinished business with Marquez. A rematch would be wonderful for both as well as the sport. A retirement, on the other hand, would close the book on a fighter I hope no one ever forgets, Marco Antonio Barrera.