Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera Review
Pair Tussle For The First Time In Texas During 2003
Oct 8, 2009
Before this fight, there could be no debate that Marco Antonio Barrera was a more established name than Manny Pacquiao. However, Manny Pacquiao ripped up the form book, and showed the world exactly who he was in front of a largely pro-Barrera crowd in Texas, USA.
How Pacquiao Dismantled An All Time Great
In the first session, Manny Pacquiao actually hit the canvas and while it looked like a slip on replays, the referee was quick to score it as a knockdown for Barrera. Pacquiao wasn't hurt though, and had he not been knocked down, the round would have gone to him.
Manny Pacquiao made sure he took the second though, nipping in and out with quick combinations. Barrera was being patient and waiting for counters, but ultimately couldn't deal with the speed of Pacquiao.
The 'Pac Man' took the third even more decisively, as he sent Barrera to the canvas with a peach of a straight left hand. Barrera looked disorganised when he got up, but managed to last out the round.
In the fourth, Barrera barely landed though, while the buzzsaw-like left hand of Pacquiao seemed to connect at will. The connection percentage and workrate of Pacquiao were equally outstanding, and the Filipino was dominating a well respected fighter.
The pace slowed slightly in the fifth, but Barrera still didn't know what to do with the younger, fresher version of him that befell his eyes. He couldn't impose himself on his hungry opponent, and he was being made to pay for this.
In round six, Barrera was on the canvas, but this was ruled no knockdown; despite looking like he hit the canvas after a punch. To be fair to the Mexican, he landed a couple of heavy straight rights in this round, but Pacquiao was still proving to be too big a test at this juncture.
Enter the seventh stanza, and Barrera got cut badly after an accidental clash of heads. He wanted Pacquiao to be disqualified, as he felt it was done on purpose, but the referee allowed the fight to continue, prompting Pacquiao to dominate yet another round.
The next three rounds were all Pacquiao, and to make things worse for the fans present, Barrera had a point deducted in the ninth for headbutting his foe. Barrera just had no answer to the 'avalanche' of punches being thrown at him by Pacquiao, and his frustration was showing.
In the eleventh, he unravelled for the world to see, and was just eating leather constantly. Barrera being the brave man that he is wouldn't give in, but thankfully his corner pulled him out to stop him taking more punishment.
The Implications Of Barrera vs. Pacquiao 1
For Pacquiao to defeat Barrera was an achievement, but to demolish him in such conclusive fashion showed that he was to be a future superstar in the sport of boxing.
As for Barrera, this defeat signalled that maybe his best years were behind him, although after this fight, he went on a run of such good form that he managed to secure a rematch with Pacquiao (which he duly lost).
How To Watch Pacquiao vs. Barrera 1
Pacquiao vs. Barerra was this week's 'Classic Fight of the Week'. Please visit my profile page for details on how to watch this, or any of the fights previously covered in this column.
