By Ronnie Nathanielsz

With Marco Antonio Barrera’s epic victory over WBC super featherweight champion in a superb ending to their incredible trilogy, a rematch with Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao looms provided the flamboyant Filipino overcomes WBA/IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in their own rematch on February 26. Pacquiao who intently followed the action in the Solar Sports telecast over RPN 9 along with trainer Freddie Roach at Pacquiao's home in General Santos City told Viva Sports/Manila Standard in a long distance telephone interview "I am ready to fight Barrera or anybody who wants to fight Pac-Man.Just bring them on," even as he stressed he didn't care "who comes first" Marquez or Barrera.

Pacquiao said the Barrera-Morales battle was "a good fight and a close one" but added that Barrera was "still the same, nothing new. But he was strong compared to Morales who has no power. Barrera claimed he was not Barrera in his fight against me so let us settle the issue"  added the flamboyant Filipino who is beginning to look razor sharp for his December 11 tune-up fight against Fahsan 3K Battery, the IBF No. 4 ranked super bantamweight.     

International promoter Murad Muhammad, in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard shortly after the fight ended said Barrera claimed “his head wasn’t right”when Pacquiao destroyed him in eleven rounds on November 15 last year in San Antonio, Texas adding “if Barrera wants to redeem himself we will be happy to accommodate him.” Barrera himself claimed in a post fight interview that his fight against Pacquiao “was an off-night and there were a lot of things involved” including raging forest fires that forced him to abandon his training camp at Big Bear and also the medical tests demanded of him following revelations that he had undergone brain surgery and a metal plate had been implanted in his skull several years ago.

Murad disclosed that HBO had set aside a date for him should Pacquiao beat Marquez on February 26 but that “the July date was against any opponent” not specifically the winner of yesterday’s third encounter between the two great Mexican ring warriors.

Murad said the return of Barrera demonstrated how “loyalty and consistency are rewarded” pointing out that HBO stood with Barrera “through his trauma with Pacquiao and now he’s back.” Murad said the Mexicans are “elated because they got their hero back.” The well-known international promoter who has close ties with top officials of HBO said he would talk to Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy Promotions who handle Barrera and he was confident HBO would tell Schaeffer “to get Manny Pacquiao which will be our next fight, after Marquez.”  Murad stressed that Pacquiao is now “King of the Mountains” because he beat the guy Morales couldn’t beat” which was Barrera.

In a pitch to Filipino boxing fans to come out in force and support Pacquiao, their hero, in his December 11 showdown with Thailand's "Destroyer of Filipinos" Fahsan 3K Battery who had beaten over 20 Filipinos most of them by knockout. Murad said “the Mexicans support their own. They stand behind their fighters as demonstrated by the packed MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas for the Barrera-Morales fight. Filipinos got to do the same thing and show the world they are behind Manny Pacquiao.”

Pacquiao watched the fight with trainer Freddie Roach at Pacquiao’s home in General Santos City and immediately after that Pacquiao took his American trainer to watch the cockfights which Roach had wanted to see. Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez who also followed the TV coverage telecast by Solar Sports over RPN 9 said Barrera’s “aggressiveness was the deciding factor. Besides, he connected with more effective punches and he could take the best shots of Morales.” Fernandez added “Barrera is slow compared to Pacquiao and we are not afraid of him. Manny can take him anytime.”

For business manager Rod Nazario the concern was not Barrera but Marquez. He said he was worried about the influence of Top Rank’s Bob Arum who handles Marquez, referring to the controversial draw in their last fight. Nazario said Marquez “may hit and run and steal the decision to set up an all-Mexican battle between Marquez and Barrera. That’s what worries me.”