He admits that his imminent retirement had much to do with his decision.

“I’ve been thinking about it for the last three years,” he said. “It’s kept me up at night. My family told me to go ahead and hang them up, but I wanted to have a few more big fights before I left the sport. This will be my last year. I will not be the typical fighter who announces his retirement and then fights again. When I’m done, I’m done.”

So Barrera intends to make his last year in the sport count for something.