As the much anticipated boxing fourth-quarter marches on, we are now on to the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera. The two met previously in 2003, with Pacquiao winning a mostly one-sided, though action-packed, bout via 11th round TKO. At the time, it was generally assumed that if the two ever met again, Barrera would suffer the same fate.

Now, here we are three years later, and Pacquiao is once again fighting Barrera, and he is better than a 3-1 favorite in the Las Vegas sports books. Four years have passed since the first meeting and the big question is “what’s different now that will change the outcome.”

To many boxing observers, nothing is different. Pacquiao still holds the number two spot on most pound-for-pound lists, despite having just two notable victories on his record, and three defeats. Since the first Barrera fight, Pacquiao has been soundly beaten by Erik Morales, and thoroughly outboxed by Juan Manuel Marquez, escaping with a draw. He avenged the Morales loss (twice), and has fought four other fighters in the meantime, none of which should appear on the recent resume of a top level pound-for-pound fighter. Yet, he remains at the top, partly because of his exciting style, and partly because for some reason, many people have elevated him far beyond what his actual fights have justified. But that’s a different argument for a different day.

As for Barrera, he just had a six fight winning streak, starting immediately after Pacquiao I, stopped by the previously mentioned Juan Manuel Marquez. Though the scores were more lopsided than the fight, Barrera fought well against the skilled boxer, out-jabbing him all night. Though he came out of the fight with a loss, he was not the shot fighter that people are making him out to be.

So how will Pacquiao-Barrera II shape up? I think action wise, it will be very similar to the first meeting. Both fighters’ defense is to throw more punches. When one of them gets hit, they hit back. It’s all either of them knows how to do.

For Pacquiao, he needs to be aggressive, but be in control. He has a tendency to let his hands go so much that he leaves himself wide open. If he doesn’t fight smart, he could be in for a similar fight to Morales I. If he picks his spots and doesn’t leave himself open for counter-punches all night, it could be a replay of the first fight.

Barrera needs to fight this fight like he fought against Prince Naseem Hamed back in 2001. In that fight he fought a very controlled, technical fight, and took advantage of every mistake Hamed made. Barrera is still good enough to fight with Pacquiao, but he’s not strong enough to trade with him all night. He must pick his spots, and counter the hell out of Pacquiao. But most importantly, he needs to avoid the straight left hand that is Pacquiao’s bread and butter. If he learned anything from watching the Marquez-Pacquiao fight, it’s that if you leave your right hand up, Pacquiao has a hard time landing his left.

I think right now Pacquiao is the better fighter than Barrera. My concern is that he no longer has the hunger that he once had, nor the focus. He delayed his training camp, made Freddie Roach go to the Philippines, and is now a mega-star in his native country. Barrera is making this his last fight. He will leave nothing in the ring.

On paper, Pacquiao should handle Barrera again, just the way he did in 2003. It’s tough to break down this fight as simply two fighters, one better than the other. The distractions around Manny for the past two months are tough to ignore. I’m predicting an upset is in the making, with Barrera hurting Pacquiao with one big punch, then finishing him late in the fight. But I won’t be surprised at all if Pacquiao mows right through Barrera. Prediction: Barrera TKO 10.

Share this story...

Discussion

No comments for “Pacquiao vs. Barrera II Preview”

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.