Barrera banking on one final title push -- San Antonio Express

By John Whisler, San Antonio Express

Marco Antonio Barrera is no longer baby-faced, and he's hardly the boxing assassin he once was.

But Barrera has a new promoter, and he's on a mission: He wants to become the first Mexican fighter to win titles in four different weight divisions.

“That is why I'm still fighting,” the former six-time world champion said Wednesday. “I want to make history.”

To do it, he'll have to get past his next opponent, Adailton De Jesus of Brazil. The two are scheduled to meet in a 10-round bout on the “Latin Fury 15” card June 26 at the Alamodome.

Barrera should have little trouble against an unknown foe. But another world title? It might be out of reach at this stage of his career.

A Mexico City native, Barrera turned pro at age 15 and began knocking out opponents at an astonishing rate. Hence the nickname, the “Baby-Faced Assassin.”

But as the years have piled up, so have the rounds and the ring miles against some of the sport's biggest names: Johnny Tapia, Prince Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales (three times), Manny Pacquiao (twice) and Juan Manuel Marquez.

At age 36, he's 65-7 with 43 knockouts but has lost three of his past five fights.

Looking more like a businessman than a prizefighter as he sat at a table at the Alamodome after the news conference promoting the upcoming June 26 card, Barrera dismissed the notion that he's washed up.

“This is not the first time I've been written off,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “But I've fought the best of the best. And I live a healthy lifestyle. I'm very fit physically and mentally.”

Barrera was written off after losing to Junior Jones back-to-back in 1996 and '97, and after he lost to Pacquiao in 2003 at the Alamodome.

But he came back to win more titles and add to his legacy as one of Mexico's greatest fighters.

Top Rank, an unlikely alliance considering their bitter feuds over the years, is now promoting Barrera. Top Rank represented archrival Morales during all three of his epic battles with Barrera.

But Barrera is hoping the promoter is his ticket back to the top.

“I'm thankful for the opportunity,” Barrera said. “I want to prove to them I can win another world title.”

Goal intact: Barrera's quest to win titles in four weight divisions is still alive, now that fellow countryman Jorge Arce is off the June 26 card.

Arce was hoping to accomplish the feat in his interim WBO bantamweight title bout against Eric Morel on the card but was forced to withdraw after suffering a cut during sparring.

Card changes: While promoters have indicated that Arce-Morel won't be replaced, it apparently did create an opening. San Antonio's Emanuel Ledezma (8-1-1, 2 KOs) officially was added to the undercard this past week.

Now training under “Jesse” James Leija, Ledezma is scheduled to take on Nelson Ramos (4-0, 2 KOs) of Houston in a super middleweight bout.

Majestic night: Bellator Fighting Championships drew mixed reviews for its San Antonio debut.

The bouts were generally entertaining and provided a stark contrast to the grandeur of the Majestic Theatre.

But the crowd of about 1,000 was disappointing. Official capacity at the Majestic is 2,311.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said it's all about developing a fan base.

“You've got to be willing to come into a city, put down some roots and build the brand,” he said, adding that he hoped to bring Bellator back for another show in the future.

jwhisler@express-news.net

Source: mysanantonio.com