Boxing Perspective: Marco Antonio Barrera

Is it time for “The Baby Faced Assassin” to retire before he ends up on everyone’s hit list?

Marco Antonio Barrera’s career has been a storied one to say the least, Barrera, who unlike many young men from his native country of Mexico, did not enter the sport of boxing in to make a financial future for himself and family hoping to escape a poverty stricken existence.

His background is from the upper middle class, Barrera every opportunity to attend college and obtain a professional degree of some sort like his siblings had. In fact rumor has it Law School is what Mr. and Mrs. Barrera envisioned for young Marco, except the idea of studying counter suit processes and trial procedures did not appeal to him quite like the thoughts of hand wraps and heavy bags did.

So on November 22, 1989 in Mexico City, a young Marco Antonio Barrera entered the pugilistic world to begin his career as a professional fighter. A career not even young Marco could have imagined would go so well.

Barrera would begin his career with a win over David Felix then continued on with a 40 plus bout unbeaten streak. It would not be until 1996 that Barrera suffered his first loss at the hands of bantam and super bantamweight sensation Junior “Poison” Jones, first by disqualification then again by decision in their rematch.

This would do little to discourage the young man with fist of a warrior and face of a high school student, a characteristic that would earn him the moniker “Baby Faced Assassin”.

Resuming his career right where he left off before the Jones bouts, Barrera would embark on a seven fight win streak picking up the WBO Super Bantamweight title in the process before losing a decision to fellow countryman and then undefeated Erik “El Terrible” Morales.

In a bout that can be described as nothing short of spectacular and began one of boxing’s all time greatest trilogies in which Barrera would avenge the loss both times. Yet even with the buzz of his performance in the Morales fight and WBO title win it would not be until a year later Marco Antonio Barrera would officially arrive as a household name among boxing enthusiast when he faced Britain’s clown prince of boxing Naseem Hamed.

With an awkward punching style, brutal knockout power and ring entrances elaborate enough to rival any show on the Vegas strip, the ever so confident and ever so arrogant Hamed entered the fight expecting to use Barrera as another showcase opponent just as he had Kevin Kelly earlier in his career.

What would happen next few in attendance or watching around the world even considered what was about to take place, ESPECIALLY Hamed.

From opening bell, Barrera established himself as the superior boxer neutralizing Hamed’s awkward style with his jab, countering beautifully with straight right hands dropping the Prince several times in the process. On the rare occasions that Hamed did land one of his feared power shots, Barrera would stick out his chin baiting Hamed to step in again just to be met with a counter hook.

When the bell to end the bout sounded, Prince Naseem was left embarrassed while Marco Antonio Barrera walked away with the unanimous decision and officially joined his place as one of the sport’s pound for pound elite.

It would not be until 2003, 14 years after his pro debut, and avenging his loss to Morales while picking up the WBC Featherweight title in the process, that Barrera would truly taste sound defeat when he was stopped for the first and only time in his career thus far by Philippine punching sensation Manny Pacquiao.

With ego bruised and body battered, Barrera would prove his true grit by returning in 2004 and stopping highly regarded Paulie Ayala, yet again securing his place upon the pound for pound best in the world. Then in 2006, just a few bouts after winning his third and final meeting with Morales did we begin to notice a change in Barrera, when he faced up and coming slugger Rocky Juarez.

In what on paper seemed like an easy night for Barrera, assuming he did not get caught by Juarez’s power to often, turned out to be a labored affair. At times Marco looked slow and his timing was off. He seemed to start tiring midway point of the fight. When he did catch Juarez with a clean hard shot he failed to follow through.

Barrera would pick up a slightly disputed decision and observers shrugged the bout off as an off night for Marco, except in their rematch later that same year Barrera would again win a decision over Rocky and once again look to be slower and less accurate with his shots.

With questions of if Juarez had the ability to beat Barrera put to rest Marco decided that in 2007 it was time to step up his caliber of competition to the elite level, something that may not have been the wisest of choices for Barrera,

He lost a clean decision to Juan Manuel Marquez in the spring and most recently lost his rematch to Manny Pacquiao by decision, losses that have removed Barrera’s name from amidst the top 10 pound for pound list in almost five straight years.

With the poor performances in the Juarez bouts and back to back losses one has to wonder if it is time for Marco Antonio to start contemplating the direction his career is headed.

While I am in no way trying to imply Barrera may be shot, I am suggesting that there are signs starting to show the wear and tear of his 70 bout career (with may of those bouts being wars) a little bit more each time out. The ability to have a back and forth war all out battles 12 rounds no longer seems present.

The sharp shooting Barrera that would walk his opponents down then release sharp crisp combinations once in reach looks to have faded, no more is the look in his eyes during introductions that told not only his opponent but all watching “You better be ready because tonight you are about to go to war”.

Instead, that look has been replaced by a worn almost reluctant one. When fighters of Barrera’s status start to show these signs they draw the attention of every rival promoter, manager and trainer in the sport. They begin to take careful notes and study his every mistake waiting for the right moment to secure a bout with him for their fighter knowing a win over a name of that caliber even if not in a prime stage of his career would put his man in the title mix, at worst a respectable showing in a loss wouldn’t lower him any in the ratings and the experience would be valuable.

Except fighting opponents of even a lesser caliber like Barrera did when facing Juarez takes its toll on the body and eventually one of these opponents are going to come out ahead.

We witnessed such an event when Roy Jones was knocked out by Antonio Tarver then Glen Johnson, fighters who he would have easily both beaten just a few years prior. Mike Tyson was ended up being knocked out by Danny Williams then embarrassed by Kevin McBride both neither man would not have lasted five rounds with Tyson during his prime.

Erik Morales, Barrera’s most celebrated rival is himself on the cusp of being another one of those once great fighters used as a name to boost records.

The sport of boxing can be cruel especially in terms of legacy. It doesn’t matter how great the fighter was it is always how he went out that helps define him. Ray Leonard, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Ray Robinson each one an all time great and each one a celebrated champion but when fans and columnist discuss their careers it is almost always how they retired that is discussed as much as their achievements in some instances even overshadowing it. A few are even turned into tragic figures, all by one to many losses.

As always you like to see a great champion go out on a high note. When you review the list of names on “The Baby Faced Assassins” resume of beaten opponents Erik Morales, Johnny Tapia, Kevin Kelly, Paulie Ayala, and Agapito Sanchez it speaks for itself the kind of fighter he is.

His losses have come from only the elite of their era by way of Jones, Morales, Pacquiao and Marquez each one more then likely future hall of fame inductee. If Barrera can have one more fight and retire with a win his legacy will go down as one of our eras greatest. He will join men like Salvador Sanchez and Julio Cesar Chavez as one of Mexico’s most revered ring warriors.

If he continues to fight on and have poor showings like the Juarez bouts and losses continue even if it is to guys like Marquez and Pacquiao, Barrera’s legacy could end up attached with the “Wish he would have retired sooner” stigma that tends to haunt the once great fighters.

Barrera’s next performance will give us a definitive answer to these questions. If he wins impressive we all be able to assume he was in a slump, if he loses then Marco needs to seriously thinking about retirement. If he manages a victory but has another poor showing then “The Baby Faced Assassin” may just end up on everyone’s hit list.