By James Blears
The third, and probably NOT final encounter between bitter Mexican rivals Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales lived up to very high expectations and was another intense classic. But how disappointing that Erik's sportsmanship does not match his extraordinary talents!
As I predicted, Erik's face ended up a roadmap of bumps, and he's nursing a suspected broken nose. That's the way it is with Erik. In the times I've seen him spar, he's often ended up with a bloody nose or a scuff mark, and that's before the fight proper. But that does not reflect on the magnificent performance he turned in, after a somewhat surprising slow start.
Erik never, never gives up, and he actually staggered Marco in the final round, to maintain the nail biting suspense right up to the final bell.
Where I do take issue, is his refusal to shake hands after it was all over. OK he's made it patently clear that he does not want to be friends with Marco, now or in the future. But the handshake is a professional courtesy. Marco who's no angel himself did try to make the gesture by going over to Erik's corner, but Erik spurned him.
Two wrongs don't make a right. Marco should not have smacked Erik with a stinger to the kisser at a press conference prior to their second fight. Just as Erik should not have provoked that situation by calling Marco a maricon-gay. But surely Erik should be big enough to have put that in the past, where is so obviously belongs.
The post fight venom that Joe Frazier has harbored for so many years against Muhammad Ali for the latter's cruel verbal barbs, has not done him any good.
Surely the more mature approach belonged to Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta. These two slugged it out six times. LaMotta only won once in this six of the best slugfest. Yet when Jake got married for the umpteenth time in 1986, who else could have been his best man!
My Countryman Larry O'Connell is coming in for some mighty stick at the moment because he scored round eleven even. And if he'd followed the logic of his two fellow judges the fight would have ended as a majority draw, and Erik would have retained his title belt.
But isn't that what boxing is all about? Everyone is entitled to his or her individual opinion and that's the way that Larry saw it.
The first two fights were laced with controversy, and so no one should be really that surprised that number three inevitably followed the same patten.
A year ago, when Manny Pacquiao, thumped Marco all around the ring for eleven one sided rounds, Marco congratulated him and made no excuses for the loss. As on that night, without a shadow of doubt the better man had won.
Surely in Marco and Erik's third fight, it was not the loosing, it was the taking part which was so memorable. It takes two to tango, but this was a real fight and not a waltz. Both gave their all, it was a treat and a thrilla, and yet blemished by Erik's residual bad feeling rather than the sore looser syndrome. Win or loose Erik is still a great champion, so should he not behave like one and stick out a right hand, in respect if not friendship?
