By Tom Donelson
There are fighters who excite us and leave us having more. Rivalries build sports and boxing has had their share of rivalries. Bowe-Holyfield and Gatti-Ward were two of the better trilogy over the past two decades. Then there was the greatest of all boxing trilogy- Ali-Frazier, a rivalry that transcended the sport.
Last night, Barrera and Morales added their name to great boxing rivalry and who knows, there may yet be a fourth chapter. The Barrera-Morales fight was not about championship belts but something more. For many years, Morales smoldered inside at the attention granted Barrera. For Morales, he consider himself the rightful heir to the mantle of the best Mexican fighter of his generation. Barrera rivaled Morales for attention among Mexican boxing fans and Morales own opinion was that he was the greater fighter of the two fighters.
As for Barrera, pundits were writing obituary to his career since his lost to Manny Pacquaio. As Rick Reeno, the intrepid editor of Boxing Scene.com, reminded us all- this was Barrera Alamo for another loss and his career as a big time PPV fighter died. For Barrera, the stakes were higher than even for Morales.
This fight may have been the best of the trilogy as Barrera came out in the first round with both hands blazing. Moving inside of the taller Morales, Barrera unleashed a barrage of punches. Hooks to the body and head followed by accurate right hands, Barrera dominated the first round and most of the first six rounds. After six rounds, it suddenly became Barrera fight to lose and many of us pundits (including yours truly) calling for a Barrera lost were left scratching their heads. Barrera washed up? Oh well- boxing is the theater of the unexpected and what was unexpected was the ease that Barrera dominated the first half of the fight. Morales nose appeared flattened and blood flowing from his nose and eyes; Morales now appeared desperate.
The seventh round, the tone of the fight changed. Morales took a step back to fight on the outside and let his punches go more. As Barrera took the seventh round off from exhaustion, Morales crept back in the fight as he began to find the range with his wicked right.
In the eight round, Morales nailed Barrera with series of left hooks followed by right hand. For the first time in the fight, Erik “the terrible” looked in charge and it was Barrera on his heel. Morales started to get his punches off first and Barrera was left to counter.
The ninth round set the pattern for the rest of the fight. Barrera saw his momentum slipping away and decided to fight back. For the six rounds Barrera success began when he punched first and let Morales react to him. In the ninth round, he returned to that strategy. Morales now feeling confident continued to fight on the outside as both men traded punches. Barrera body shots and hooks to the head were the best blows but Morales had his moments as well. By the tenth, the fight returned to the pattern of the opening six rounds as Barrera appeared to have the fight back in control.
The final two rounds would define both men and the courage they have exhibited in the ring for their entire career. Barrera corner told their man, “go for it, and let the punches fly.” There was no assuming that the judges were seeing the same fight as the rest of us. At this point, I had Barrera easily winning the fight on the scorecard but in boxing, you can never assume. Barrera’s corner did not. As for Morales corner, the order was simple- knock Barrera out. No more tomorrow.
The eleventh saw both men go toe to toe. For the next six minutes until the last bell, there was no pretense of defense. Both men let punches fly and the battle ebbed and flow. There was not even a certainty that both will survive to the final bell. Hooks followed by right crosses followed by more hooks to the body and head. That was the pattern of those last six minutes. Forget the science of boxing; both men were literally fighting for the control of the other. It was hell in the ring and neither fighter gave the other quarter. At the beginning of the twelfth, Barrera slipped on the Miller logo in the middle of the ring as he was getting nailed. He managed to keep his balanced but Morales jumped on him. Both fighters’ unleashed volleys of punches and with 30 seconds left, Barrera barely could stand and Morales was not farther behind. While both men exhausted and with nothing left to give, they still keep punching. The punches had no steam but still they connected.
The decision proved close with Paul Smith scoring the fight 114-114. Jerry Roth had the fight 115-113 and Larry O’ Connell had Barrera by one point 115-114. (O’ Connell scored the eleventh as a 10-10 round and this differential gave Barrera the championship. For the record, I had the fight 116-112 in favor of Barrera. The eleventh and twelfth was close and could have gone either way.)
What we saw was boxing at its most brutal and artistic best. In the beginning, Barrera used his boxing skills to move inside of Morales jab and worked the body and head with series of hooks and sharp crosses. Barrera was an artist at work as he out thought and out hustle Morales. The last two rounds were the rounds that tested both men soul. Both men dug inside themselves and laid each other out. No mercy but yet, it is fights like this that reminds us the glory of the sport.
Just as Ali-Frazier fought to near death in Manila, Morales and Barrera fought to the near ultimate point of exhaustion where each man had nothing left to give. These moments are forever frozen in times. Ali sitting on a stool exhausted as he is told that Frazier will not be coming out for the 15th round is one of those moments that forever is etched in my mind. Last night, seeing Barrera with his hands down and Morales charging one more time is another moment. With 30 seconds, Barrera looked like he could easily had dropped from sheer exhaustion but he refused to go down. He would not lose.
Matches like these are precious pieces that stand forever. For years to come, this trilogy will be part of boxing conversation. And who knows, there may yet be a fourth chapter. Barrera is now the champion and for Morales, he will want that championship back.
Both fighters have some big money fights left. For Barrera, he has unfinished business left with Pacquaio and for Morales, he has revenge left. Least we forget, there is yet another Mexican fighter left in the mix. Juan Manuel Marquez survived a Pacquaio onslaught and ended up with a draw against Barrera’s conqueror. Marquez is one of the slipping counter punchers who can punch as well as box. When great Mexican fighters are brought up, his name is rarely mentioned. Yet, he is one of the best in the business and deserving of a big money fight with either Barrera or Morales.
Most of the pundits like they did with Wright-Mosley fight before went with the defending champion. It was a case of the bigger man taking advantage of the smaller fighter. So why did Barrera win? For one, while we talking about the beating that Barrera took at the hand of Pacquaio, we fail to see that Morales had been in his share of war. Go back to the Morales-Jesus Chavez fight that Morales won his super featherweight champion. Morales had Chavez down twice early in the fight and Chavez fought most of the fight with one arm, his left. Yet Chavez gave Morales a tough tussle. It was a competitive fight and if Chavez had not injured his right shoulder, maybe he could have won the fight.
For most of the fight, it was Barrera who appeared fresher and quicker. The advantage that Morales supposedly had in hand speed dissipated from the opening minutes. It was Barrera who was quicker though out most of the fight and it was Barrera who imposed his will on Morales. Morales had fought at the junior featherweight four fights but had only one stoppage to his credit. Certainly this fight will take its toll on both fighters but the real question is which fighter will suffer the most? Just look at Morales’ face at the end of the fight and you know which fighter took the greater beating. Both men still have something left to offer boxing and there are still big fights upon the horizon for both men. For one night, these men were the King of boxing and their name will be immortalized for the trills they gave us. With the stakes high, they produced at a high level for over 36 rounds.
Calderon- Fajardo
The great featherweight Willie Pep once won a round by not throwing a punch. His defensive mastery was so complete that he could humiliate an opponent by just making him miss.
Calderon is the mini-flyweight version of Willie Pep. He gave a boxing lesson to Carlos Fajardo. Fajardo was trying to hit a ghost that he never seem to see. Wherever Fajardo punched, Calderon wasn’t there. When Fajardo loaded up for another strike, he got nailed with four or five punch combination.
Many boxing fans never truly appreciate the artistry of a Calderon. Even the HBO crew seemed bored by the artist that stood in front of them. Moving and punching effectively, Calderon beat Fajardo to the bunch every second of every round. This fight wasn’t in doubt even from the opening second.
Fighters like Calderon are the last of a dying breed- the smooth boxer who works on not getting hit. Calderon believes simply that you don’t win fights by letting the other guy hit you but by avoiding being hit while connecting on your own punches.
Calderon fights within himself and while many pundits scream in horror about Calderon style, it is time that we at least understand that there is a science involved in the sport. Calderon doesn’t just run. Throughout the fight, he slipped inside his opponent longer reach to deliver some slick combinations to the body and head before bailing out. He just doesn’t stick around to receive the return punch or punches. Calderon won’t knock his opponent out but he does remind us that boxers can depend on more than just heart.
Rafael Marquez-Mauricio Pastrana
Pastrana is a fighter who exhibited heart in his fight with Marquez. Rafael Marquez dominated this fight and the end of the fight, Pastrana had a right eye closed as a result of Marquez left hooks, a left eye that was swollen near shut and a sore shoulder. He had nothing left.
As for Marquez, it will be recorded that he won this fight easily and by a TKO. Over the past three years, only Pastrana had gone the distance with Marquez. Marquez wanted to knock Pastrana out and Pastrana was determined to go the distance, no matter the cost.
Throughout the fight, Marquez punches were the heavier of the two fighters but there were moments that Pastrana’s right hand found a home. Marquez left eye showed the effect of Pastrana’s right hand as it showed swelling.
In the sixth and seventh round, both men exchanged hooks and right hands on the ropes and in the center of the round. There were the best rounds of the fights and proved to be the most competitive. However as the seventh round ended, the heavy punches of Marquez showed their effect as Pastrana went into the eighth with both eyes swollen. Unable to see, Pastrana attempted to box to avoid the sledgehammers coming his direction. As he sat on his stool after the eighth round, the ring doctor recommended the fight to end. There was nothing left to prove and for Pastrana, no victory in sight. The fight ended mercifully. Marquez had his knock out. Pastrana showed his courage. Fight fans were rewarded with a good fight.
Oscar Larios vs. Nedal “Skinny” Hussein
This fight intrigued me simply because of the contrast between the hustling style of Larios vs. the body attacking, in the trenches style of Hussein. It turned into a mismatch. The second round was the only round that showed the potential of what the fight could have been. After easily losing the opening round to Larios, Hussein went to the body and appeared to have turned the tide. Larios looked bewildered and stunned at the ferocity of the body attack by the fighter down under. Then Larios went back to his strategy of just throwing punches. Larios’ punches were not terribly accurate but he was letting loose to the body, head, arms or any part of Hussein body. Hussein spent most of the fight in a defensive posture; appearing lost on what to do with this wild man in front of him just throwing punches.
Hussein failed to follow up on his successes in the second round and he allowed Larios to out hustle him. Larios took what Hussein gave him. When Hussein went into his turtle defense, Larios pounded hooks around the defenses. When Hussein opened up, Larios moved and boxed while throwing jabs followed by right crosses. Hussein never appeared hurt but he did appear confuse. He just never let his punches loose and in the end, never got untracked. Larios won an easy decision.
Conclusion
This evening presented some interesting thoughts for the future. First, Rafael Marquez may be ready to challenge junior featherweights. He appears too big for bantamweights and certainly, a fight with Larios would be an interesting match ups. Larios is a mechanical fighter with little fluidity but he throws punches in bunches. His idea of defense is to go on the offense. As Hussein showed, Larios could be vulnerable to a vicious body attacker and Marquez has one of the best-left hooks to the body in the lower weight division.
Oscar Larios has won 15 fights in a row and Marquez has dominated the bantamweight division. For Marquez, he is ready to move up and fighting fellow Mexican Oscar Larios would be a money making fight with a built in audience.
As for the main event, what can be said? Both of these men have been won 17 championship bouts apiece. They have been among the best of their generation in the 122-130 pound divisions and both have left a legacy that can’t be erased.
For Morales, think of Willie Pep. Pep was considered the greatest, if not one of the greatest featherweights, by most boxing historians. There was one fighter who had Pep number due to size and power- Sandy Sadler. Sadler defeated Pep three out of four fights and was the only fighter who exhibited such domination over Pep in his peak years. Yet Sadler domination did not take away Pep greatness.
Morales’ defeat to Barrera does not diminish his career. Morales is still one of the best of his generation but Barrera has several things going for him. He could box and trade punches with Morales. But that is not all. Barrera had one more thing going for him. He had the same indomitable fire that his main rival possesses. Both men could not bend the will of the other. What proved the difference was that Barrera was able to execute his game plan more efficiently than Morales.
And this may not be the last chapter. Barrera still must fight Pacquaio to revenge his lost and while Pacquaio proved to be his master in their first encounter; the Pac Man has his weakness. As Juan Marquez showed in their encounter, Pacquaio is vulnerable to a counter puncher and did not adopt very well in his fight with Marquez. When Marquez was able to clear the cobwebs in his mind after a disastrous first round, he was able to take advantage of Pacquaio aggressive nature and counterpunch him beautifully. Barrera is one of the smarter fighters in the game and he could certainly come back and beat the Philippine fighter.
As for Morales, he has options as well. He is still in line for some big fights of his own. Marquez-Morales and Pacquaio- Morales are marketable fights.
The junior featherweights, featherweights and junior lightweights have some great encounters left to play out. Over the next twelve months, we could see more classic bouts from fighters in these weight division.
Finally, Oscar De La Hoya enhanced Golden Boy Productions by betting on Barrera. While Top Rank manages Morales, Golden Boy Productions have Barrera in their stable and it aids the Golden Boy to have the number one junior lightweight in the world under his umbrella. So the war between Top Rank and Golden Boy over the Hispanic market has begun.
