28.10.08 – by James Slater – Heaven knows, the great Marco Antonio Barrera is entitled to an easy comeback fight after all the tough battles he’s been in during his long, Hall of Fame career. And though most fight fans would probably have preferred it if the Mexican legend had decided against returning to the ring under promoter Don King this coming November 7th, the 34-year-old last seen losing on points in a rematch with Manny Pacquiao is, for good or bad, back.
And hasn’t Barrera got himself as safe a comeback foe as possible for his bout in China. Opposing “The Baby Faced Assassin” will be 33-year-old Sammy Ventura, a fellow Mexican with a pro record of 25-19(20). Ventura, a lightweight who has lost seven of his last eleven fights, the last two via quick KO, has been beaten every single time he has stepped up in quality. Last time out, Ventura was done away with in just 2-rounds by Wes Ferguson, this stoppage loss being the sixteenth Ventura has suffered in career that began at 122 pounds back in 1994..
Oscar Larios twice stopped Ventura, in 2 rounds and then in 1 round, while Robert Guerrero stopped him in 1 round also. Jason Litzau took him out in the 2nd. These are good fighters for sure, but there are no wins against good men on Ventura’s record. And to make matters worse, Ventura will have no edge in sharpness come November 7th, as he has been inactive even longer than Barrera, last fighting in September of 2007. Simply put, what chance at all does the 33-year-old have against even a way past his prime Barrera?
You have to go back to December of 1999 to find as softly a matched foe for Barrera. Back in late ’99, Marco met and TKO’d one Cesar Najero inside 4-rounds. Najero was just 2-1-1 at the time and it was, according to BoxRec, later discovered that Najero was Barrera’s sparring partner and the result was changed to a No-Contest/exhibition. Now, after having met and put on truly great fights with the likes of Erik Morales (three times), Naseem Hamed, Johnny Tapia, Pacquiao (twice), Rocky Juarez (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez, Barrera takes on a man he will surely crush.
Where will this comeback lead to for one of the most popular fighters of the last ten years or so? Marco will very likely get his first win in over a year come November 7th, very possibly without even being made to box for much more than a few minutes. For being blunt, if Barrera cannot dispatch a man who has been destroyed in less than 3 rounds on no less than nine occasions, his ring return is doomed. But after Marco gets the win, what then?
We won’t know a thing about what the 63-6(42) great has left come November 8th, not with him being matched as soft as he is being. In a way it’s sad to see Barrera and his people being reduced to even finding such a beatable opponent as 19 fight loser Ventura. Who really wants to see such a terrible mismatch?
Unless we see a monumental upset – one even bigger than Douglas-Tyson or any other sensation you care to mention – Barrera will score his 64th win in China next month. What it will prove, however, is another thing entirely.