by David P. Greisman
He still looks far younger than his 35 years, this Mexican warrior who was but a teenager when, two decades ago, he first got paid to walk up those steps and onto the canvas battlefield.
Confined within four ropes on four sides, he thrived in one-on-one combat, earning the nickname of “Baby-Faced Assassin” and carrying it with him even when it was no longer quite as apt.
A look at many of the men whom he met in combat reveals veterans far removed from their glory days.
Barrera and Kennedy McKinney inaugurated the first-ever episode of “Boxing After Dark” by trading knockdowns over 12 great rounds. McKinney stopped being a contender in 1999 and hasn’t fought since 2003.
Barrera and Junior Jones went head-to-head in back-to-back bouts, Jones taking both. Jones last fought for a world title in 2000, last fought in 2002.
Barrera and Erik Morales had three close wars, their rivalry never reaching a resolution even after their rubber match. Morales has been on indefinite sabbatical since 2007.
Barrera-McKinney was in 1996. The Barrera-Jones fights were in 1996 and 1997. Barrera and Morales took each other on in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Morales, the closest thing to Barrera’s mirror image, has spoken of coming back, of contending again.
Barrera has already returned, the Baby-Faced Assassin taking one last shot.
He is not quite as baby-faced anymore, not quite an assassin, not in the suit and tie befitting one of several veterans who took an executive role within Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
It seemed the right time for a transition. The former warrior was now more likely to take a composed approach in the ring, to box instead of brawl and to come out victorious because of his doing so. He could still battle in the trenches, but he no longer felt it necessary.
His last gasp seemed to come in 2007, in a close battle with Juan Manuel Marquez, a spirited loss that Barrera continued to protest long after the judges’ rendered their decisions. In his next outing he faced Manny Pacquiao in a rematch, with Barrera seeking to make up for the beating Pacquiao had given him four years prior.
Before Marco Antonio Barrera stepped into the ring for his rematch with Pacquiao, he’d said he would retire after what had been a long and legendary career. But revenge would have to come first.
Twelve rounds passed. Another final bell tolled. And there was Barrera, lifted upon the shoulders of his cornerman, a trickle of crimson flowing from a cut on his cheek.
It would be his only taste of blood that night.
Barrera stayed at a distance, rarely committing while Pacquiao would stalk patiently, talking to Barrera in clinches in an apparent attempt to get his blood boiling.
The warrior seemed warier.
He rarely put punches together in combination, and they neither deterred Pacquiao nor convinced the judges, all of whom found Pacquiao the clear winner. It was enough to last the distance and little more.
Barrera seemed slated for the sideline, for the sunset. But then he left Golden Boy Productions, declared himself a free agent and announced his return.
Two decades into his pro career, he felt it necessary to sign a five-year deal with Don King. His first bout back was a gimme, a four-round technical-knockout sparring session.
The next fight ending in a win isn’t such a given.
Barrera will face Amir Khan on March 14. In only his second bout at lightweight, Barrera will take on a natural 135-pounder, an Olympic silver medalist at that weight.
If ever there was a true crossroads bout…
Khan is 13 years Barrera’s junior, a lanky fighter five inches taller, a young pro just three-and-a-half years into his career. Khan’s amateur accolades aside, his accomplishments include rising from prospect toward contention, only to have the proverbial rug pulled out from under him.
In less than a minute, Khan went from undefeated to unsteady on his feet, the victim of a stunning knockout loss at the heavy hands of a Colombian named Breidis Prescott.
Khan, like Barrera, is one bout back into his rebuilding. But he is bigger, stronger and fresher.
Barrera has been counted out before – after the twin losses to Jones, after the first defeat against Pacquiao – only to put together a string of victories, picking up title belts along the way.
When speed and reflexes slow, when energy and power lessen, heart and grit remain.
Yet Barrera’s best intangible is his experience. He still knows how to fight, how to control distance, how to get his opponent within his sights and when to shoot.
All that might not be enough.
His one last shot is coming. When this assassin pulls the trigger, just what will he find left in the chamber?
The 10 Count – Peter King “10 Things I Think I Think” Tribute Edition
1. I think Andre Berto got exactly what he needed from his fight this past weekend with Luis Collazo – a stern challenge from a capable former beltholder.
Though Berto holds a world title just two-dozen bouts into his career, he had, to this point, largely gotten by on his physical gifts. Now that he has seen that the upper tier of opponents will not only be able to handle him, but give him some trouble, too, he must learn to incorporate different dimensions into his game.
Berto was able to put himself into a higher gear in the second half of the Collazo fight, taking over at a point when Collazo was tiring. Once he’s back in the gym, he should work on not pulling straight back to get away from punches, not squaring up and leaving himself vulnerable, and on using his footwork to control distance and tempo.
He’s young, just 25 years old, just four years into his career. I think he’s at a similar point in his career as Juan Diaz was at 20, four years into his own career, a newly anointed lightweight titlist.
2. I think there’s no controversy in the unanimous decision awarded to Berto on Saturday night, that there was just one bad scorecard that distracted from the two tallies that counted.
Bill Clancy scored the bout 116-111 for Berto, somehow finding nine rounds for him in what was a far closer bout. Larry Ingle and Gary Ritter saw the action 114-113 for Berto, meaning that Berto won the fight by taking it to Collazo in the final round.
I scored the fight 114-113 for Collazo and had no problem whatsoever with the cards Ingle and Ritter turned in, the cards that, had Collazo won the 12th stanza, would’ve given him the decision.
3. I think Saturday’s “Boxing After Dark” was precisely the kind of show HBO should be putting on. I think next month’s “Boxing After Dark” should end up being the second such show in a row.
4. I think, nevertheless, that Don King has his work cut out for him promoting said Feb. 14 “Boxing After Dark,” which only as of last week had a venue officially announced.
The card, which includes a televised tripleheader, will take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla., the home of the Florida Panthers hockey team. On this one night, it will play host to Nate Campbell defending his lightweight titles against Ali Funeka, Alfredo Angulo facing what might be his toughest test yet in Ricardo Mayorga, and Sergio Martinez taking on late replacement Kermit Cintron.
It’s a good card, but there isn’t too much time for King and the six fighters to get out and do publicity – quite the necessity when it comes to trying to sell tickets without a true headliner local draw.
5. Though I think Kermit Cintron will end up losing Feb. 14 to Sergio Martinez by technical knockout, I still think Cintron made the right choice in signing for the fight. Cintron replaces Daniel Santos, who himself was expected to face Martinez as a late replacement for a kidney-stone-stricken Joe Greene.
Cintron was likely to be fighting soon anyway, in a Feb. 21 challenge, perhaps, of welterweight titlist Joshua Clottey. The Clottey bout would’ve netted Cintron somewhere in the vicinity of $125,000, ESPN.com scribe Dan Rafael estimated. Instead, Cintron will probably earn around $200,000, Rafael said.
Money aside, if Cintron comes up short against Martinez, then he will have lost to a stellar 154-pounder and can return to his normal stomping grounds. But had he ended up getting defeated by Clottey, his time as a contender at 147 would probably have been through.
Of course, there’s the possibility of Cintron winning – again, I don’t think that will happen.
6. I think Joshua Clottey has to be the most frustrated world-class fighter not named Glen Johnson. How much longer must the Ghanaian beltholder wait to get the attention he deserves?
7. I think Manny Pacquiao should just sign the contract already and stop worrying about how much he’s earning compared to Ricky Hatton.
8. I think veteran ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman either doesn’t know boxing, or his memory has been clouded by some of those “deux-deux-deuxs” he was once caught talking about in an infamous YouTube video.
Berman, on “Sunday NFL Countdown” this past weekend, tried to reference the Sweet Science while previewing the “heavyweight defenses” of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Big George Foreman and Smokin’ Joe Frazier,” Berman called them. One problem: Foreman demolished Frazier both times they fought – once by second-round stoppage, once by fifth-round technical knockout.
9. Dodgeball, an occasional update: I think that as much as I enjoyed last season, this season, which starts tonight (Jan. 19), won’t be anywhere near as much fun.
Last season, Aim Low, a ragtag bunch of newspaper staffers and their friends, finished in second place following its best-ever playoff run. The one-night tournament began with an easy 8-1 victory over Braggingly Happy BGW. That sent Aim Low into a semifinal game against the Superbad Ballers, a team that had come out victorious in the two teams’ past four meetings. Once again, though, Aim Low had an 8-1 lead when the final buzzer sounded.
That put Aim Low in the finals, where it met longtime rival Corning. And though Aim Low took a 2-1 lead, Corning came back, taking the 4-2 win and the season championship.
That was the recreational league.
This season, all teams will be in the competitive league. Aside from the higher level of competition, three members of Aim Low will not be playing, shortening the bench.
I think we’ll still play hard, and each game and post-game beer will still be chronicled in this space.
10. I think, since we began with Amir Khan, that we must end with Khan Noonien Singh. R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. His weekly column, “Fighting Words,” appears every Monday on BoxingScene.com. He may be reached for questions and comments at fightingwords1@gmail.com
