Initially the fight was announced as a draw. After the actual live HBO broadcast went off the air, it was revealed to the crowd that two of the judges miscalculated their scores and Barrera was declared the winner by way of split-decision.

The staff of BoxingScene comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions for the big fight.

TK Stewart - The best opportunity Rocky Juarez ever had to defeat Marco Antonio Barrera took place back in May in Los Angeles.  Juarez had a Barrera that took the fight lightly and wasn't in top flight mental or physical condition.  That was Rocky Juarez' best shot at a victory over Barrera and he let it slip away.  As it was, Juarez had all that he could handle with Barrera - and then some.  I scored the first fight for Barrera 115-113 and thought that it was the older, not in top shape Barrera that won the final two rounds to eke out the decision victory.

This Saturday night in Las Vegas will be a different story.  Barrera always rises to any challenge and he generally has always performed well in rematches.  I look for Barrera to be in much better condition and to control Juarez with his exquisite left jab and deft movement.  Barrera will be on guard for Juarez' dangerous left hook and will likely avoid the exchanges that he was forced into during the first fight.
 
Rocky Juarez' professional flaw has always been the fact that he just doesn't let his hands go enough.  Juarez had Barrera hurt a few times in the first fight, but he didn't follow up and was just too passive.  Juarez let Barrera off the hook and allowed Barrera to fight back.  Make no mistake, Juarez is dangerous and he carries his power into the late rounds, but I look for Barrera to put on a boxing clinic to end up sealing a unanimous decision in a fight that will be similar to his victory over Naseem Hamed.

Ron Borges - The question is not about Juarez this time, it's about Barrera. Was he ill-prepared and sick as he claims or has time run out on the great Mexican fighter? Although age and wear-and-tear are a worry the bet here is he still has his pride and enough in the tank to win a decision. Juarez is not likely to be improved over his first fight, although it's possible. It's impossible for Barrera not to be improved unless he's shot.

Marco Antonio Barrera by a hard-fought decision.

Tim Smith - Juarez took a step forward against Barrera in the last fight and I thought he controlled the final few rounds of the fight. Juarez learned his lesson and he'll show Barrera just how much he learned.

Juarez by decision.

Dan Creighton - I have Marco Antonio Barrera winning the fight by way of a knockout in the 7th round.

Rusty Rubin – Rocky Juarez should have been given the nod in the first bout. I have Rocky Juarez winning the rematch by decision.

Dave Wilcox - This might be the end of the road for the proud warrior, Marco Antonio Barrera. The punishment he has sustained over the years, as well as father time will get him Saturday night. Not to mention that Rocky Juarez will be in front of him. Rocky is younger and stronger at this point. I thought he won the first bout and think he will improve on the stellar effort. I look for a bloodied and battered Barrera to make it to the final bell, but he will come up short.
 
Juarez by split decision.

Joe Harrison - Juraez is a very good fighter, but I think Barrera is a great fighter. One of the best. I know Barrera didn't look great when he fought Juarez before, and some would say that he deserved to lose that night. But this time, I think Barrera will be better prepared, and ready to give Juarez a real boxing lesson.
 
Barrera by unanimous decision

Ron Gallegos - Rocky really rose to the occasion and caught a flat Barrera in their last fight.  The scorecards did not reflect what really happened.  Rocky roundly outscored a Barrera who had not properly prepared for the onslaught of the young warrior. 

Barrera has been caught flat before and unprepared for an opponent whom he considered not up his standards.  Witness his fight with Manny Pacquiao, although for the life of me I can't figure how he would underestimate the Philippine fighter who eventually would beat him at every aspect of his game. 
 
In retrospect, Barrera can come in and illustrate his place as one of Mexico's greatest warriors or he can come in so flat that he in no way resembles the Barrera that is destined to take his place as one of the boxing icons of the era. 
 
This fight will not catch Barrera flat.  Rocky has guts, he showed no fear in the first fight.  However, the Barrera who entered the ring that night will in no way resemble the terror that will engage Rocky in this second fight.
 
I look for Barrera in a hard fought unanimous decision.
 
Paul Gallegos - I was highly disappointed in the first fight--not in the fight itself, but in the scoring.  What hell was going on there?  Did the judges watch the fight?  I firmly believe that Juarez beat Barrera 7-5 in rounds.  A draw was a travesty and what ensued after the fight was pure tragedy. 
 
With that said, this fight comes down to which Barrera shows up.  Is it going to be the Barrera that gave Morales 36 rounds of hell or is it going to be the Barrera that was beaten on every level against Manny?  The left hook of Rocky will command respect as well as control.  I think that Rocky will stop the legend on this night, much the same way that Antonio Tarver stopped Roy Jones in their second meeting after a bogus first decision.  It must be Staples Center that produces these types of results--only in Hollywood.
 
Look for Rocky Juarez to score a major upset with a 7th round KO and put a legend to sleep.

Brent Matteo Alderson - This is a tough one.  Barrera is a legend and I believe that he's one of the top three or four best fighters in the history of Mexico.  I also believe that he over-trained for the last fight and that he came in at a physical and mental low.  He had previously been scheduled to fight Jesus Chavez in March and the dates kept on changing until he was finally scheduled to face Juarez in May.  The fight was a war, a close competitive fight and I thought a draw would have been just. 

Since that time something about Barrera has changed.  When I Interviewed him for Ring Magazine last October he said that he wanted to fight a few more years and have six or seven more fights, but recently he stated that he only wants to fight a couple of more times.  I think Barrera really took a physical beating in the last fight and that it really took it's toll on his 32 year body.  I hate picking against Marco because he's one of my boxing heroes, I was there when he fought McKinney at the Forum and I was there when he fought Morales in 2000, but I think his time has run out and feel like Juarez is going to go in there with more confidence, with less respect and take the fight to Barrera all the way to the end. 

I like Juarez by decision or by late round TKO.  One thing is for sure, Marco is going out on his shield and he'll fight until he can't fight anymore.  Adios Marco y gracias por todo. Eres uno de los mejores.  

Mike Indri - Barrera was given all he could handle in the first fight, and somehow managed to leave the Staples Center ring with his world title belt around his waist.  Juarez won't give away those early rounds this time, plus has gotten over the fact that he is fighting a boxing legend - and will earn a hard fought victory.
 
Rocky Juarez defeats Marco Antonio Barrera via Unanimous Decision

Mike Casey - I thought Juarez shaded a strangely sluggish Barrera the first time around, but I certainly didn't want a major argument about it.
 
I just feel that Rocky had to beat Marco Antonio that night or he wasn't going to beat him at all. Barrera still has ambition and plenty of fire burning in his belly. I think he will be looking to prove his superiority beyond dispute with a thoroughly comprehensive performance.
 
I believe that is what he will do, laying the foundations with care and then powering through for a stoppage win.
 
Barrera by TKO in round 9 or 10.

George Phillips – Marco Antonio Barrera will redeem himself in the rematch by scoring a knockout in the 5th round.

JC Casarez - There is no questioning the greatness of Marco Antonio Barrera who was forced to dig deep in order to pull out a razor thin split decision over Rocky Juarez last May. That decision would be a bit tainted by the California commission who originally miscalculated the scores and a draw was announced to the crowd. At that moment I realized that this indeed is a young man’s sport and although I feel that the decision was just I couldn’t help but think that even in defeat Juarez won more night and Marco lost the physical fight. 

Rocky Juarez is far from the kid that won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. He is now a fighter who has shown that he can hold more than his own with any fighter in the world. Now when I mentioned that I thought that Barrera lost the fight I meant that he received the worse end of the physical damage. I expect Rocky to start round 1 of the rematch as if it was round 13 of the first fight. He will look to get inside and land the harder more compact punches. He can’t allow Marco to box on the outside and control the pace of the fight, and I don’t think he will. Work to the body will pay dividends for the Houston native in the 2nd half of the fight. This is something he neglected in their first encounter. I don’t believe Marco’s body can hold up to a fast pace fight this time around.

I have noticed over the last couple of years that for Marco to be successful he must control the tempo and make it a boxing match rather than a slugfest. Rocky will look to make it just that a slugfest. I see Juarez dropping the great Barrera on his way to winning a Unanimous Decision and may even score the stoppage late. Rocky will not be denied and while his Olympic teammates have beat him to winning world titles the time is now for the lone star state’s Rocky Juarez.

Alphonso Costello - It’s easy to discount Marco Antonio Barrera after his sluggish and controversial victory against Rocky Juarez. Barrera’s ability to absorb punishment is declining, but his courage and technical skill cannot be questioned. His boxing skills should carry him to another victory if he stays on the outside and avoids those punishing exchanges. On the contrary, Juarez needs to be aggressive in the early rounds and bang Barrera on the inside. Juarez should win if he uses his strength advantage to brawl with Barrera. If Juarez can make the proper mid fight adjustments and win the war of attrition, he should score a knockout victory over Barrera. Nonetheless, Barrera’s ring savvy, experience and heart will overcome youth and strength.
 
Marco Antonio Barrera wins another close decision.

Tom Donelson - Their last fight was a tough affair with Barrera eking out a close decision that could have gone either way. With his face busted up, Barrera found a way to keep boxing and moving while taking Juarez’s sledgehammer shots.   The keys to victory are simple:

For Barrera to win, he must keep the fight in the middle of the ring and use angles.  Juarez has trouble with boxers who give angles. What Barrera must avoid is getting trapped on the rope. 

For Juarez to win, he must throw punches. Juarez is accurate, but economic in his punches. His punches pack wallop but against a boxer with activity, he can lose close rounds. That is what happen in the early rounds against Barrera, whose activities build up enough of a lead to be able withstand Juarez’s onslaught down the stretch.  When Barrera goes to the rope, Juarez must nail the body and not allow Barrera to escape.

Logic says that Juarez’s youth will prevail in the rematch, but I like Barrera to win. Experience edges out youth.

Larry Tornambe - I think both guys will have something to prove and fight with purpose.   Look for an exciting fight and the younger guy getting the win by decision.
 
Juarez by Decision.

Sammy Rozenberg – Rocky Juarez is going to start better, and end the fight by knockout before the tenth round.

Bradley Yeh - Barrera has consistently shown in rematches he can adapt and improve, and of course there is also his world-class experience that makes it extremely difficult to bet against an operator of Barrera’s ilk. Juraez at 26 years of age may very well be the next big thing coming through the super featherweight ranks, and at times in his last fight with Barrera Juraez certainly looked the part. How much of Juraez’s gloved optimisation in that bout was due to Barrera’s self confessed less than perfect preparation, is anyone’s guess though - but if Juraez shines this weekend we’ll all have something great (Juraez win) and something sad (Barrera loss and possible game exit) to write about.

Youthful frames are very rarely synonymous with experience, and so often in boxing we find ourselves comparing experience against youth, and that’s probably because it takes almost a lifetime to master the craft to expert level. By then the stamina demands of the championship rounds are far better served by a youthful frame - all else being equal that is. This upcoming fight is no exception. Being super critical; Barrera now has a tendency to slow in the latter rounds where his ability to evade punches diminishes.

Who doesn’t slow down when you fight at Barrera’s pace and intensity - maybe Juraez doesn’t.

Juraez doesn’t have anywhere near the experience that Barrera has (no secret there), nor does he have the craftiness that’s often required to pull big close fights off. However Juraez does have a very good foundation, with the great amateur success he enjoyed in Sydney through to his current professional career, which is now bristling with energy and promise. Something that’s not always stated about Juraez is that he also has good power. He threw and landed some heavy artillery in his last fight with Barrera. All up that’s a nice competitive package wrapped up with the youth and hunger that Barrera may now miss in the sunset of his achievements.

Unless you think Rocky’s corner are playing for an early stoppage against the Mexican gunslinger, the Juraez team surely will look to maintain position early and come down through the late rounds very hard and seek to test Barrera’s aging stamina. Problem is; Barrera knows that’s their most likely plan, as Barrera started punching for money when he was 15 years old and he is 32 years young now - 32 is not old.

The story can so easily be re-written with an ending that favors either combatant. With the caveat that Barrera comes into the fight in excellent condition, (recalling my last incorrect Toney prediction); Cautiously, I like Barrera to take this one.

James Blears - Not prepared to put the work in anymore:

A glittering but long career has blunted Marco’s work ethic. To be the best, you’ve got to possess the natural gift of talent. But to utilize this to the full, you’ve also got to peak physically.

Marco skipped his normal training routine habit of pushing and punishing his body through high altitude camp at Big Bear, prior to the last clash with Rocky Juarez, and I still believe he lost that fight.

Unabashed he’s again incredibly shunned ultra high altitude training at Big Bear, and stayed put in his superb gym in Mexico City.

For an aging fighter like Marco who walks around comfortably at Mexico City’s three thousand meters altitude, this is just NOT good enough. He’s denying himself the boost to his red blood cell count, lung capacity and heart rate. It smacks of complacency and it’s plain foolish.

Rocky is younger, hungrier and realizes that he can defeat Marco if he forces a high tempo, demanding a unrelenting punch output.  It’s then that Marco will be wishing he’d not remained within a comfort zone.

Erik Morales also avoided the ardor or high altitude training before his second fight with Manny Pacquiao and he paid the price, lacking sharpness and tiring badly, and getting clobbered.  He’s going back to the wilderness close to the stars and skies on September 20th. At least he’s learned his lesson.

I feel the same physical meltdown will happen to Marco. I think he’ll run out of steam, somewhere past the eighth round and get stopped.  By then it’ll be too late to reflect on a mistake that was made…and then repeated.

Eric Rineer - I just hope the end of this fight isn't marked with controversy like the first time around. Look, you've got a legend in Marco Antonio Barrera who somehow amazingly is still one of the top fighters in his weight class. He has proven time and time again that he is a true warrior. He is a hero in his country and that sets his heart on fire every time he climbs into the ring. He never underestimates his opposition. No matter what happens on Saturday night, Barrera is certain to be cemented as one of the greatest Mexican fighters who ever lived. I don't think he will win the rematch to the younger and highly motivated Rocky Juarez, but he will make it a great fight. I look for Juarez to edge Barrera in a close but unanimous decision. And I look forward to watching this legend, Barrera, lace up his gloves in one of the final chapters of his brilliant career.

Terence Dooley - I go for Barrera on points only by a wider margin. Last time he won clearly but closely yet it was a win nonetheless and Juarez did not warrant an immediate rematch.

Regardless, Barrera will have learnt from the last fight and if Juarez was going to get Barrera’s scalp he would have done so the last time out. Barrera did enough in many of the rounds and out-boxed Juarez at time by using his jab and experience, that jab and the experience will not vanish into the ether, so much relies on how Juarez adapts.

If Juarez hurt Marco in the last fight I will expect Marco to box conservatively throughout, on the other hand Barrera may feel that he can drop bombs on Juarez and bring about an exciting battle. In terms of the pitch of the battle Marco should settle the issue by boxing cautiously for the first few rounds before putting his plan into place. Juarez needs to hustle Marco and bust him up early on to avoid Marco stealing the later rounds.

Either way Marco by UD is the pick for me.

Jim Cawkwell - Rocky Juarez lost the first fight by two points so there can be no argument over Marco Antonio Barrera being a deserved winner. The controversy of the draw turned to a decision loss plus Juarez's physical domination against one of the pound-for-pound best in the world sees them back for the rematch. I expect an even better fight than last time with both fighters accustomed to one another. Also, the added pressure on each man should produce something special, as they know that their future's hang in the balance. My prediction is that Barrera will come out fast and look to compile a swift lead, but Juarez will be less inhibited in his attacks and force Barrera to rethink. I think these two have it in them to produce shades of a Castillo-Corrales I type battle. Juarez's youth, energy and power will come on strong down the stretch and dethrone Barrera by a close decision.

Rick Reeno – It’s very hard to go against Marco Antonio Barrera. A few years ago my gut instinct made me pick him to beat Erik Morales in their trilogy bout. At the time Morales was perceived as unstoppable, and Barrera was going to be a stepping stone. My gut does not give me the same feeling in this bout.

Against Pacquiao, he was beaten that night be a better fighter. When he fought Juarez, he began to fade as the rounds progressed, something I can’t recall happening to him in any of his past performances. He looked old and he looked slow. I actually had him winning the fight, but it was certainly a close fight. If Juarez had started at a quicker pace in the early rounds, he would have won the fight or even stopped Barrera in the late rounds.

I can’t see Juarez doing any better, and I think Barrera is going to improve. He must know something we don’t, because this was not a fight he had to take. The public was not necessarily crying out for a Barrera-Juarez rematch. It’s still going to be close, but I’m going to pick Barrera to pull out a decision win.