Antonio Barrera fights. Biography of Marco Barrera. Biography, life story of Marco Antonio Barrera
Today marks the 41st anniversary of one of the best boxers of recent decades, former world champion in three weight categories, Marco Antonio Barrera.
The Mexican fighter nicknamed the “Baby Faced Assassin” successfully fought his first professional fight when he was only 15! The case is rare, but not unique for one of the leading boxing powers, which traditionally cannot boast of a high level of well-being of its citizens.
Barrera now has 75 fights under his belt, which include battles with such authoritative champions as Manny Pacquiao, JuanManuel Marquez, Naseem Hamed, Johnny Tapia, Paulie Ayala, Kennedy McKinney…
But what made Marco Antonio a world-famous star and a dollar millionaire was the bloody trilogy with the only person whom he hated fiercely for many years.
CONTAMINATION – TITLE
It all started on February 19, 2002 in Las Vegas. The unification bout pitted the WBC world champion in the up to 55.3 kilogram weight category, Mexican Erik El Terrible (“Terrible”) Morales, and his compatriot Barrera, who held the WBO belt.
By that time, the fighting nicknames of Marco Antonio and Erika were already well known to boxing fans. But the opponents themselves called each other differently. Their mutual antagonism was partly due to long-term correspondence rivalry within the ropes, partly to local feuds (Barrera was a native of Mexico City, Morales was from Tijuana), but at its core was intense personal hostility. The larger “driver” Eric more than once called his opponent a “little gay,” while certified architect Marco Antonio ridiculed Morales’s colloquialism, lack of education and street habits.
What happened in the ring that winter evening made an indelible impression on the American public, spoiled by name knockouts Mike Tyson And Felix Trinidad, speed Roy Jones and a dazzling smile Oscar de la Hoya.
The audience was completely immersed in the atmosphere of the battle of two hurricanes, which was unleashed by the frantic “kids”. The highest tempo, dynamics and density of the fight were combined with the extraordinary performing skills demonstrated by both competitors.
In the fifth round, Morales was on the verge of a knockout, but managed to resist and regain the initiative. And when it seemed that Marco Antonio was noticeably tired of his own fierce attacks, Barrera suddenly rose up and snatched the championship rounds, managing to knock down his opponent.
When the referee Mitch Halpern raised the hand of the barely alive Eric after the final gong, and the famous ring announcer Michael Buffer proclaimed his victory by a split decision of the judges, there were more dissatisfied with such a verdict than those who agreed with it.
It got to the point that officials of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), after consulting, retained the championship regalia for Barrera, de facto refusing to recognize him as a loser!
SUITS DO NOT HINDER A FIGHT
If the official outcome of the Morales-Barrera fight, which quickly became a cult fight, did not suit many journalists, fans and even officials, then what can we say about Marco Antonio himself! It was quite obvious that organizing a rematch was only a matter of time.
However, the irreconcilable duelists decided to use their fists long before the second fight, which took place on June 22, 2002. During a joint press conference in Houston, Barrera suddenly asked Eric to answer for words about his allegedly unconventional sexual orientation.
This was followed by a lightning-fast right hook, which Morales tried to respond to with a series of punches, capped by a kick. After this, the boxers were separated, but the promoters made a sensible decision to no longer bring them face to face to the point of suicide.
At the end of the second battle, the opponents switched roles. Barrera, having decided to abandon continuous pressure and the desire to close the distance at all costs, turned the battle into a calmer direction, relying on devastating counterattacks.
As a result, leading analyst for HBO Harold Lederman concluded that at the end of 12 rounds Morales was stronger (115-113). It is noteworthy that he assessed the epic first fight clearly in favor of Marco Antonio (116-111).
But this time the official referees unanimously preferred Barrera, as if apologizing for the injustice committed two years earlier.
SIZE MATTERS
The final chapter of the historical confrontation was written on November 27, 2004. For the first time before the start of the classic Morales-Barrera battle, analysts and bookmakers identified an obvious favorite.
“Terrible” Eric, after the second fight with Marco Antonio, won six confident victories in a row, while his enemy was sensationally defeated by the rising star Manny Pacquia in November 2003. But that was not all... The WBC weight category championship belt was at stake in the third fight up to 59 kilograms, belonging to Morales.
It was believed that El Terrible felt very comfortable at this weight, while the limit was too high for Barrera. The reality exceeded all expectations: within a day after the official weigh-in, the reigning champion managed to gain 13 pounds! Thus, entering the ring in Las Vegas, Eric seemed 5 kilograms heavier than Marco Antonio. A colossal difference that even heavyweights could not help but feel...
But 30-year-old Barrera fought perhaps the best fight of his life that day. Already in the debut, he firmly seized the initiative, without even thinking about avoiding the fierce exchange of blows and the battle with an open visor. In the second round, the “Baby-faced Killer” broke his opponent’s nose, and a wide hematoma gradually formed under Morales’ right eye.
Eric did not lay down his arms. He managed to even out the course of the battle, and in the end even seize the initiative. But, as El Terrible later told, in fights with his most important opponent, his emotions often let him down. Morales sought to “cut” Marco Antonio at any cost in every episode, often neglecting the battle plan that was carefully developed by his coach and father, Jose.
Be that as it may, Barrera won a close but deserved victory on points (115-113, 115-114, 114-114), took the championship belt from Morales and showed two fingers to the hated “Hillbilly”, thereby symbolizing that the last word in the long-standing the war was left behind him.
BY THE WAY
The first and third fights between Morales and Barrera were recognized as “fights of the year” (2000 and 2004, respectively) according to The Ring magazine.
Erik Morales is one of two Mexican boxers who managed to win championship titles in four weight categories. His compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez has not yet given up hope of becoming the sole owner of the national record.
Marco Antonio retired in 2011. Eric fought his last fight a year later.
THE BEAUTIFUL OF ANY WORDS
Barrera's reaction to Juan Manuel Marquez's knockout blow in his fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao. (Next to Marco Antonio is Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.).
November 27, 2004. Erik Morales - Marco Antonio Barrera. Round 12 Erik Morales' second WBC super featherweight title defense.
Background: The third match between the two eternal rivals was expected with great interest. The first two fights ( in the second bantamweight, and featherweight) were incredible. This was the case when even if they boxed 50
again, it will always be interesting.
Before the third fight, the odds were in Morales' favor. He was a slight favorite among the bookmakers. A year before his third meeting with Eric, Barrera was defeated by a rising star - Manny Pacquiao. After that, he had a good fight against Paulie Ayala, and entered the third fight with the eternal enemy. Morales was on a six-fight winning streak. In the last two fights, he confidently dealt with the second featherweight champions, taking away their titles: Jesus Chavez ( WBC) and Carlos Hernandez ( IBF).
The fighters openly expressed negativity towards each other. Their enmity was not feigned, as is often the case. They really hated each other and this added interest to their confrontation.
This fight was decisive. The head-to-head count was 1-1, and everything was to be decided at the end of November 2004 in Las Vegas.
Twelfth round: The third fight turned out fantastic, as expected. The initiative passed from hand to hand, the fighters did a huge number of actions in the ring. By the start of the last round, both were exhausted to the limit. On the judges' cards, Marco Antonio was ahead. At the very beginning of the round, Morales caught Barrera with a left from the side and he barely stayed on his feet. Eric rushed to finish off the enemy, but he quickly came to his senses and, blocking himself, began to respond to the champion’s attacks. Barrera was physically stronger than Eric and this affected his work close. He simply pushed the champion to the ropes and threw a series of punches. Morales sought to escalate precisely at mid-range. Despite his long arms, he felt great" on short". The round continued in " telephone booth"Nobody wanted to give in. It was a matter of principle. Eric tried to throw his signature combination in development: right through the arm - left from below to the head. It happened, but not often enough to completely take over the advantage. 20 seconds before the end of the fight, Marco Antonio stumbled, and Eric took advantage of this hitch: he planted four brutal double straight punches right into the challenger's head. Barrera endured everything and, literally the next moment, with a long and precise attack, drove Eric to the ropes and developed a combination. Morales responded, and when the bell sounded , the referee had to wedge himself between the boxers to stop them.
The champion won a crazy final round, but it wasn't enough. Marco Antonio Barrera won by majority decision and took the WBC title from his eternal opponent, tying the series 2-1 in your favor Forever.
The next fight will see Erik Morales score a famous win over Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao, while Marco Antonio will successfully defend his belt against Mzonke Fan.
Their third fight went down in boxing history and was recognized as " Fight of the year"according to the magazine" BOXING RING".
On March 22, 1989, at the age of 15, after an excellent amateur career (56-4-0) and 5 Mexican championships, Marco Antonio Barrera made his professional debut in the flyweight category in a fight against David Felix. The debut was successful - technical knockout in the second round.
Barrera immediately set about establishing impressive fight statistics and a high knockout percentage. He knocked out 12 of his first 16 opponents before facing Josephino Suarez (13-6-1) for the Mexican Super Flyweight title. On April 1, 1992, in his native Mexico City, Barrera won the title by points (UD). This title was his first in the professional ring. As a champion, Barrera successfully defended his belt 5 times, after which he had the opportunity to fight for the vacant NABF title. On August 28, 1993, in Inglewood, CA, Marco Antonio won his second professional boxer title - NABF Super Flyweight - in a fight with Eduardo Ramirez (SD 12).
In 1994, Barrera became the #1 contender and on April 13 he was asked to fight #2 contender Carlos Salazar for the right to enter the ring against the current super flyweight champion. Unfortunately, Barrera was unable to meet the weight class limit. The fight still took place, but not as an elimination fight. Marco Antonio won this fight by points (SD) over 12 rounds.
Barrera got his first chance to fight for the world title on March 31, 1995, against WBO Super Bantamweight champion Daniel Jimenez (19-3-1). Marco Antonio controlled the entire fight from the very first round and won it by points (UD). After 4 subsequent title defenses, all of which resulted in knockouts of challengers, Marco Antonio Barrera ended the year on a high note, still remaining undefeated with a record of 39 (27 KOs)-0-0.
The following year, Marco Antonio Barrera successfully defended his title three more times, followed by two epic battles with a certain Junior "Poison" Jones. The location of the first fight for the WBO title was Tampa. On November 22, Marco Antonio went into battle with a fast and dangerous opponent. He was leading on points after 4 rounds, after which a turning point occurred in the fight - after a crushing blow from Jones, Barrera falls to the floor. Despite the fact that Barrera managed to get up, he is still “in a coma” and Jones’ second blow to the practically unprotected opponent again throws the latter to the floor. Fearing for the condition of their fighter, Barrera’s seconds jump into the ring and thereby automatically stop the fight in favor of Jones. 5 months later, on April 18, 1997, a rematch took place in Las Vegas. Marco Antonio trained hard to regain his title and was in excellent shape. The fight turned out to be stubborn, but in the last rounds Junior Jones looked better and the victory went to him again (UD).
Barrera made his next return to the ring on February 21, 1998 in a fight against Angelo Rosario. In this fight, Barrera looked much fresher and better than in the fight with Jones and in the fifth round he won by technical knockout. Barrera's next 2 opponents before the fight for the vacant WBO belt also found themselves on the floor. On October 31, 1998, in a fight against Richie Venton, strong hooks and explosive combinations earned Barrera the WBO Super Bantamweight title. Later, Marco Antonio defended his champion's crown 2 times; Paul Lloyd (TKO1) and Pastor Marino (SD12) were defeated. On February 19, 2002, in the fight for the WBC/WBO and Marco Barrera titles, Marco Barrera and his opponent Erik Morales were bleeding, but no one was going to give up. The ending of the fight was very tense, but the judges gave preference to Morales (SD). The meeting itself became the fight of the year. Disagreeing with the judges' decision, the WBO made the most unique decision in the history of boxing - the WBO belt remained with Barrera, despite the defeat! Marco Antonio won this fight according to this organization. Subsequent contenders for the belt were not so dangerous: Luis Freitas was knocked out in the 6th round, and Jose Valbuena lost on points. On December 1, 2001, the title of Marco Antonio volunteered to challenge the tough nut - Jesus Solid, but he only lasted until the 6th round (TKO). On April 7, Marco Antonio met with Naseem Hamed. This was an opportunity to prove to the whole world who is the best fighter in P4P. Barrera had no right to lose in his hometown and, looking invincible until that moment, Hamed was defeated on points (UD). After all this, fate again pits Barrera against Morales, but now the judges give preference to him and the invincible Erik Morales suffers the bitterness of defeat for the first time in 42 fights.
From time immemorial, the Mexican land was famous for its legendary boxers, whose names went down in history forever. At the same time, the distinctive features of all these fighters were courage, perseverance and composure. It goes without saying that when studying Mexican boxing, one cannot ignore such a personality as Marco Antonio Barrera - a man who became a sensation in his time and opened a new era in the squared circle of the ring. It is this outstanding athlete that will be discussed in this article.
The birth of a legend and the first steps in boxing
Barrera Marco Antonio was born on January 17, 1974. His hometown is Itztacalco. The Mexican's amateur career was relatively short: 56 wins and 4 losses. At the same time, he became the champion of Mexico among amateurs 5 times. The professional debut of the “baby-faced killer” (Barrera’s nickname) took place at the end of 1989, when he was only 15 years old. His first opponent at this level was Davis Felix, who was ultimately knocked out harshly by the young talent in the second round.
First title in the pros
After seventeen fights that Barrera Marco Antonio fought in the first two years of his professional career, he entered the fight for the national super bantamweight title. Josephino Suarez competed with him in that fight. As a result, Barrera won on points, and subsequently defended his title 5 times. August 1993 also turned out to be successful for our hero: he captured the NABF title.
First loss
In 1994, Barrera Marco Antonio took first place in the WBC rankings. This position allowed him to qualify for a contender's fight with No. 2 fighter Carlos Salazar. The winner of this fight received full right to fight the champion. Unfortunately, Marco was unable to challenge the title, despite his victory over his competitor, because he could not fit into the limit of his weight category.
Championship
March 31, 1995 became a landmark for the Mexican. It was on that day that he defeated Daniel Jimenez to become the WBO featherweight champion. Barrera stuck to his line throughout the fight and was able to achieve the desired result with scores of 116:111, 115:112 and 117:110.
In early 1996, Marco Antonio fought former IBF champion McKinney. The result of the confrontation was a knockout of the challenger in the 12th round. After this fight, the Mexican successfully defended his belt three times, after which an unexpected misfire occurred...
The bitterness of defeat
Barrera left the top against Junior Johnson. The loss occurred in the fifth round, and by knockout after a blow to the chin. Five months later, a rematch was organized and held, but this time too (albeit on points) Junior turned out to be better. This situation only strengthened the Mexican’s motivation, and he again began his journey to the top.
Return
Two consecutive defeats forced Barrera to literally destroy his next opponent, Angel Rosario, in the fifth three-minute period. After that there were two more victories by knockouts. This situation again allowed the assertive Marco Antonio to quickly enter the title fight.
On the last day of October 1998, Barrera once again tried on the WBO champion belt. To do this, he had to knock out Richie Venton in the third round. Over the next year, the Mexican defended his title twice with positive results.
Scandalous fight
Marco Antonio Barrera is a truly outstanding boxer in all respects, but even in his career there were extremely unfair decisions against him. This situation occurred on February 19, 2000, when in the opposite corner of the ring the Mexican saw This fight was a unification fight between two world championships: WBC and WBO. The fight turned out to be extremely tense and interesting for the spectators. The result was a split decision by the judges, who declared Morales the winner, who, by the way, was knocked down in the last round. This result caused a storm of emotions and a flurry of criticism, and the leadership of the WBO organization generally retained Barrera’s belt, because, in turn, they considered that it was he who won the fight.
Historical moment
April 7, 2001. Such a long-awaited fight for many boxing fans: Naseem Hamed - Marco Antonio Barrera. It was in this confrontation that the WBO super champion was to be determined.
The too arrogant and self-confident “Prince” was unable to adapt to the Mexican during the battle and impose his tactics and will. The Mexican acted on defense clearly, quickly and harshly, time after time punishing the Briton for excessive bragging. Ultimately, the victory naturally went to Barrera, who became a real national hero in his homeland.
Marco Antonio Barrera, according to many experts, had his best fights in a fight with the performing and now legendary Filipino. And even despite the fact that the Mexican was a loser both times (once by knockout), his desire to win and will were appreciated by absolutely everyone who saw these fights and followed the fate of the athlete.
Marco Antonio Barrera (Spanish: Marco Antonio Barrera; January 17, 1974 (19740117), Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican professional boxer who competes in the 2nd bantamweight category. World champion in the 2nd bantamweight (WBO version, 1995-1996, 1998-2000 and 2000), featherweight (WBC version, 2002) and 2nd featherweight (WBC version, 2004-2007; IBF version, 2005) weight categories.
Nickname: “Baby Faced Assassin.”
He made his debut in November 1989.
In March 1995, he defeated WBO super bantamweight world champion Daniel Jimenez.
In November 1996, Barrera was disqualified in a fight against Junior Jones.
In April 1997, Barrera lost again to Junior Jones in a rematch.
In October 1998, in a fight for the vacant WBO super bantamweight belt, Barrera knocked out Richie Venton.
In February 2000, a fight between two famous boxers took place - Marco Antonio Barrera and the undefeated Erik Morales. Morales won by split decision.
In March 2001, Barrera defeated the undefeated Naseem Hamed.
In June 2002, Barrera entered his second fight against the undefeated WBC featherweight world champion Erik Morales. This time Barrera won by unanimous decision.
In November 2002, Barrera defeated Johnny Tapia.
In April 2003, Marco Antonio Barrera met with Kevin Kelly. In the middle of the 1st round, Barrera landed a right cross to the jaw and a left hook there. Kelly collapsed onto the floor. He rose to the count of 5. Barrera tried to finish off his opponent, but Kelly began to run away from him. At the beginning of the 5th round, Kelly went on the attack. Barrera counterattacked with a left hook to the body, then a right hook there. Kelly went to the ropes. Barrera landed a right hook to the jaw. Kelly fell. He stood at the count of 5. Barrera rushed to the attack. He carried out several series of shots to the head and to the body. Under the influence of the blows, Kelly fell to the canvas again. He went up to the count of 9. Barrera began to beat his opponent, and the referee immediately stopped the fight. Kelly didn't argue.
In November 2003, Barera met with Filipino Manny Pacquiao. At the beginning of the 1st round, Pacquiao threw a left cross, but failed to keep his balance and fell. The referee counted the knockdown. The Filipino did not agree with him. When watching the replay, HBO commentator Larry Merchant said there was no punch from Barrera, so it was not a knockdown. At the beginning of the 3rd round, Pacquiao landed a deuce to the head, and the Mexican sat down in the ring. He stood at the count of 8. Pacquiao rushed to finish him off, but Barrera himself went on the attack. The Filipino was more successful in the exchange, but was unable to finish off the Mexican. In the middle of the 9th round, Barrera clashed with Pacquiao in a clinch. The referee gave the command “break”, and at that time Barrera delivered a left hook to Pacquiao’s jaw. The referee fined the Mexican one point. At the end of the 11th round, Pacquiao landed a deuce to Barerra's jaw. He tried to escape in the clinch, but was unable to enter it and fell to his knee. He stood at the count of 7. Pacquiao immediately went on the attack. He drove Barrera to the ropes and started bombing him. Seeing this beating, a representative of the Mexican’s corner rose to the ring and signaled to stop the fight. The referee stopped the fight.
In June 2004, Barrera knocked out Paulie Ayala.
In November 2004, the 3rd fight between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales took place. Based on the results of 12 rounds, Barrera won by majority decision.
In March 2007, Barrera lost to Juan Manuel Marquez.
In October 2007, the 2nd fight took place between Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao outworked the Mexican. At the end of the 11th round, Pacquiao threw a large number of accurate punches to Barrera's head. The Mexican went into the clinch. The referee began to separate them, and then Barrera threw a left hook to Pacquiao's head. The referee deducted a point from the Mexican for this. After 12 rounds, the judges unanimously declared Pacquiao the winner.
In November 2008, Barrera easily defeated Sammy Ventura by TKO.
On January 31, 2009, he defeated Cuban Frodis Rojas, who was disqualified in the third round for a headbutt. The blow resulted in a severe cut for Barrera.
Based on Wikimedia materials
