Boxing News Boxing News
Last night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, super featherweight Marco Antonio Barrera fought to overcome nemesis Manny Pacquiao in a rematch, but the 33 year old Mexican also found himself contending with the withering effects of an eighteen year career and dropped a unanimous decision to the celebrated Filipino southpaw.
In the early rounds, Barrera used his favored manner of dealing with southpaws, the left jab, and managed to keep Pacquiao from launching any kind of effective counter offense with good footwork.
But Barrera couldn’t keep up the high energy approach and by the fourth round was no longer able to impose his will over that of Pacquiao, who began to force his rival into fighting off the back foot.
The middle of the fight saw the two come to grips and Barrera acquitted himself well, lashing Pacquiao with sterling right hands but could not prevent his opponent from gaining even larger measures of revenge as the bout moved on.
Barrera sought to conserve energy while trying to negate Pacquiao’s pressure, but could only manage periodic campaigns as the Filipino’s greater speed of hand punished the Mexico City veteran with raking combinations whenever Barrera tried to open up.
In the eleventh, Pacquiao nearly reproduced the stoppage he forced upon his adversary in their first fight four years ago but Barrera managed to keep the action under control by clinching, although he did lose a point for hitting Pacquiao on a break.
Both men were spent by the uneventful twelfth and final round before Pacquiao was awarded a unanimous decision by scores of 118-109 (twice) and 115-112.
With the victory, Pacquiao improves to 45-3-2 (35) and retains his WBC International Super Featherweight crown.
Barrera drops to 63-6 (42) and announced his retirement from the sport after the bout.
Also on the bill, WBO Featherweight Champion Steven Luevano, 34-1 (15), retained his crown for the first time with a unanimous decision over Antonio Davis, 24-4 (12), via scores of 119-108 (twice) and 118-109.
Super middle Librado Andrade, 26-1 (20), annexed the vacant USBA crown with a seventh round stoppage over Yusef Mack, 23-2-2 (14).
Former IBF Super Feather titlist Steve Forbes, 33-5 (9), posted a ten round split decision over Francisco Bojado, 18-3 (12), at welterweight
97-93, 96-94 and 94-96.
