By Jim Cawkwell

 

Losing a crossroads bout to Humberto Soto did not lessen the enthusiasm towards Rocky Juarez’s explosive potential as he slid under the radar for his title shot against Marco Antonio Barrera. Meanwhile, Soto, the logical, ranked challenger still awaits his chance. Juarez did Houston, Texas proud in a fight he actually lost; except, whether it was incompetence, or that Golden Boy Promotions has yet to perfect the promoter’s sleight of hand, a draw became a Barrera win on live television. Controversy reigned. Now they return to set it aside.

 

“Domination,” “A New Level,” “Strength beyond Strength,” or even, “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit”; if Rocky Juarez has a soundtrack for the preparation of his rematch with Barrera, it probably sounds a lot like Pantera. And if Juarez is to dethrone this particular Mexican legend, his anthem can be the one that accompanies us through this piece: “Cowboy from Hell.”

 

“Under the lights where we stand tall,
Nobody touches us at all.”

 

Few have stood taller than Barrera. Mexicans will not speak of an heir apparent to the great Julio Cesar Chavez, though if they did, Barrera might be the prime candidate. A rare legacy full of passionate rivalries, bitter defeats, and numerous career resurrections leading to glorious victories carried Barrera to the ring to face Juarez. It was a collision of instinct honed through a lifetime of battles versus the unparalleled hunger of a young fighter searching for the start of his own legend.

 

“Showdown, shootout; spread fear within, without.”

 

Shockingly, the usually resolute under fire champion retreated from the challenger’s power and sought to fight at range. Promoter Oscar de la Hoya proved that he still has a few lessons to learn in the bullshit department as he blamed Barrera’s uncharacteristically hesitant performance on an ill-fitting mouthpiece. If anything, Juarez’s consistent pounding of Barrera’s face was a catalyst for Barrera’s gum and shield becoming better acquainted.

 

Of course, De La Hoya’s excuses were the weakest since Manny Pacquiao insisted that he could not reach optimum performance against Juan Manuel Marquez because he was wearing the wrong socks. Sometimes, no matter how talented, a fighter enters a weight in which he is simply out of his depth, and that’s how Barrera looked against Juarez.

 

“We’re gonna take what’s ours to have
Spread the word throughout the land.”

 

It’s difficult to control your emotions when you’re watching something groundbreaking unfold before you. There was sorrow for Erik Morales as he knelt over, forlorn and finally broken by Pacquiao’s speed and power, but not before the exhilaration of witnessing Pacquiao achieve the unprecedented.

 

What Juarez lost in points on the scorecard, he more than gained in the esteem of those that saw him physically dominate Barrera. The appearance of impropriety in the subsequent conversion of Juarez’s draw with a legend into a loss galvanized Juarez as the sympathetic figure and true winner of the fight’s drama.

 

Substituting for Jesus Chavez, Juarez was not expected to be the potential roadblock he has become. With a Pacquiao rematch rooted in his heart and De La Hoya at ringside during the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez - a subsequent Golden Boy acquisition - Barrera’s future was full of marquee possibilities. If it is to remain so, he must be the Barrera of old, not an old Barrera.

 

“You see us comin,’
And you altogether run for cover.
We’re takin’ over this town.”

 

This time it’s the MGM Grand where Barrera is yet to lose a fight. The headliner is the showpiece of a monstrous fight card including: Israel Vazquez vs. Jhonny Gonzalez plus Jorge Barrios vs. Joan Guzman.

 

Before a partisan Los Angeles crowd, Juarez claimed a moral victory; however, regardless of the audience, anything less than a career best performance will not be enough to unseat a champion who has proven evermore dangerous with his back to the wall.

 

“Here we come reach for your gun,
And you better listen my friend.”

 

Juarez expects that serving twelve rounds against Barrera will provide a greater insight into overcoming him in the rematch. But the champion reinvents the steel like no other. When necessary, Barrera will stand with Juarez, defying logic round after brutal round, or toy with him behind a masterful jab. The question is whether or not Juarez can live in that environment.

 

“Ain’t talking no tall tales friend.”

 

Hopefully, by the time of the fight, De la Hoya will see to it that Barrera’s mouthpiece matches specifications, and just for insurance, ensure that his dressing room is laid out in harmonious Feng Shui. Seriously, there should be no excuses; however, there is the rumor that Juarez will not be allowed to wear Reyes gloves - notoriously suited to heavy hitters - into the ring.

 

We’ve seen these glove controversies before; some take them with a pinch of salt; others laud their significance. Both fighters wore Reyes gloves last time, and the destructive effects of Juarez’s punches told on Barrera very early in the fight while Juarez himself appeared unscathed in comparison.

 

Of course, Barrera hits hard, but if his strategy is based on using his craft to out-box Juarez, increased padding will not hinder him; whereas, Juarez’ plans - based on his power - will suffer. If that scenario occurs, then Barrera awarding Juarez the immediate rematch no longer seems like such a noble gesture.

 

“So out of the darkness and into the light,
Sparks fly everywhere in sight.”

 

The first fight established Juarez as a legitimate threat. Now, everything is at stake for both fighters. Saturday night could represent the death throes of Barrera’s career, or the night we realized that Juarez was just a nearly man on the fortuitous end of one bad night in the life of a legend.

 

Whichever man is to be vindicated, they’ll have to go through hell to earn it. Many expect Barrera’s skill to neutralize Juarez; but with his pride in the balance, expect Barrera to try and produce a hybrid masterpiece of guile and aggression.

 

Choosing against Barrera is ill-advised anytime, especially when he feels he has a point to prove. However, I’m going to do so in this case, not because Juarez is a better fighter, or that he deserves vengeance after suffering a bad decision. But because it’s time.

 

Having spent more than half his life as a professional prizefighter, Barrera has proven that he will not go out on someone else’s terms; he’ll have to be put out on his shield. The tide is turning. Gatti, Vargas, and Morales have all fallen this year. Like them, Barrera must make way for a new breed.

 

Barrera has seen so many wars and has nothing more to prove. The spirit and passion he exhibited through the years seemed boundless, but we know that, sooner or later, the day will arrive when he cannot muster another miracle. I say sooner.

 

Why?

 

“‘Cause high noon, your doom,
Comin’ for you, the Cowboy from Hell.”

 

Contact Jim Cawkwell at