By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- On February 12, less than a month after his 37th birthday, five-time titlist Marco Antonio Barrera of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, scored a knockdown in each round on the way to a second-round stoppage of 43-year-old journeyman Jorge Arias of Providence, R.I.
The win represented the 44th knockout, and the 67th victory overall against seven losses for Barrera, who ended a nine-fight winning streak by Arias (15-2, nine KOs) that had included seven consecutive knockout wins for a man who was stopped for the first time in his career.
Barrera had ended a 15-month layoff with June's lightweight, unanimous decision over Brazil's Adailton De Jesus, his first opponent since losing a five-round, technical decision to current WBA junior welterweight (140 pounds) titlist Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) of England in March of 2009.
Barrera trailed Khan on all three cards when their fight was stopped -- this, after Barrera suffered a severe cut on the left side of his head following a clash of heads.
The Khan match would have been declared a no-contest if it had been stopped in the fourth round, automatically forcing a rematch. Barrera had been similarly cut following a clash of heads in his previous fight, a January, 2009, third-round disqualification victory over Freudis Rojas.
On Friday, Barrera was in attendance at the weigh-in at the Mandalay Bay Hotel for Saturday night's HBO televised bantamweight (118 pounds) championship clash featuring WBO and WBC titlist Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs), of Mexico, and, WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) king Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs), who are being promoted by Top Rank Promotions.
The 31-year-old Montiel and Barrera are among five Mexican fighters to have won world titles over the course of three divisions -- the others being WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs), Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (107-6-2, 86 KOs) and Erik Morales (51-6, 35 KOs).
Montiel is riding an 11-0-1 unbeaten streak that includes nine knockouts, four straight stoppages and a mark of 5-0-1, with five knockouts in his past six fights. The 28-year-old Donaire, of the Philippines, enters his second-ever and second straight bantamweight match up in pursuit of his 25th straight victory and his 10th stoppage in his past 12 fights.
In April, Montiel trailed on the cards when he scored a sensational fourth-round knockout over Hozumi Hasegawa (29-3, 12 KOs), a man who was in search of his sixth straight stoppage during a 25-fight winning streak that had included 11 knockouts.
Barrera is most known for winning two fights in his trilogy with Morales, one whose legendary status, for Mexicans, rivals the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In addition, Barrera remains the only man to have defeated former WBO and IBF featherweight (126 pounds) King Prince Naseem Hamed of England, who was 35-0, with 31 knockouts before losing a unanimous decision to Barrera in April of 2001.
Always a warrior, Barrera has twice defeated Rocky Juarez, fallen by unanimous decision to Marquez, and lost, respectively, by 11th-round knockout and decision to eight-division king and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao (53-2-1, 38 KOs).
Barrera spoke to FanHouse concerning his legacy as well as his future in this Q&A.
Translated by Jaime Motta, ESPN International and ESPN Deportes
FanHouse: In what order would you rank the five Mexican champions who have won titles over three divisions?
Marco Antonio Barrera: Because of the way that they won them, Julio Cesar Chavez would be No. 1. Erik Morales would be No. 2, I would be No. 3, Juan Manuel Marquez would be four, and Fernando Montiel, fifth.
What do all of those five guys have in common in terms of their internal fortitude?
We're all very different. All five of us. In this case, Fernando Montiel, what he's got is hunger, experience and he's got to show to this time around that he is made for this type of fight.
He will have to prove that he is of the upper level with this fight.
Were you concerned prior to the Naseem Hamed fight that your conversion from a puncher to being more of a boxer would not be received well by your Mexican fans?
I realized in 2001 that I needed to change my style. After the loss to Erik Morales [in February of 2000,] I knew that if I wanted to stay in boxing, that I had to change my style.
I couldn't continue to keep getting hit as much as I did in that fight, and I had to change a little more to be able to last a little longer.
I thought about my fans a lot when I was training for the Naseem Hamed fight. I thought that people might be against me because I was going to try and box more.
But as things turned out, people really appreciated that I was able to give Naseem Hamed a boxing lesson. I did it by boxing, and from then on, I realized that, 'You know what? The fans like that I could box as well.'
So, for the rest of my career, I have basically been able to do that. And the fans stuck with me because, not only could I fight, but I could box as well.
What are your thoughts on the nickname of Manny Pacquiao, 'The Mexecutioner,' for his domination of Mexican fighters such as yourself, Eric Morales, and, Juan Manuel Marquez?
It's obvious that, since Montiel is Mexican and Donaire is from the Philippines, that Mexicans are going to go with Montiel even more for that reason because of the rivalry that has developed between those countries.
Montiel is not only Mexican, but he is one of the best Mexican fighters that Mexico has out there right now. But the rivalry is mainly due to Manny Pacquiao.
As far as Pacquiao, obviously he's he has earned the right to be called the Mexicutioner or whatever he wants to be called. Because not only has he beaten all Mexicans, but he's beaten guys from wherever.
He's beaten Americans and he has done it at lightweight [135 pounds,] welterweight [147 pounds,] and, at super welterweight [154 pounds,] so, he's got the name that he deserves.
When can we expect to see you in the ring once again?
First of all, I'm retiring in December. Regardless of what happens, I'm going to call it quits in December because I've spoken to my family about it.
For health reasons, I don't want to stick around in the sport and allow anything to happen to me. So, as I've said, I have spoken to my family, and we have decided that this is it, no matter what happens.
I will fight again in April, and then, after that, I will look to fight the winner between [WBA lightweight champion] Miguel Acosta and Brandon Rios.
So that's fight, hopefully, will come off in September. I don't have an opponent yet for April, but I'm still waiting for my promoter, Fernando Beltran, of Zanfer Promotions and Bob Arum to pick an opponent.
What are your thoughts on the notion that Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales was a trilogy similar in stature to Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier for Mexicans, and, do you still have any animosity toward Erik Morales?
I am very grateful and honored that people all over believe that the trilogy with Morales is considered on par with Ali-Frazier and other great trilogies.
I feel that that was a great part of my career, and as far as Morales, I am very grateful to Morales for helping us to be able to produce that kind of an exciting trilogy.
I only wish that Morales would recognize, as I do, that they were great fights and that we were great rivals. But it does not seem that Morales, up to this point, is willing to extend a hand out to me and to say the same thing.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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