This article was first published in Sun.Star Gensan on September 8, 2007
When Filipino whirlwind of a lefty Manny Pacquiao goes up against his one-time knockout victim Marco Antonio Barrera, he will do so as an odds-on favorite to do a repeat of his brutal and masterful conquest of the Hall-of-Fame-bound Mexican boxing great.
Understandably so.
Back in November 2003, nobody, except his dyed-in-the-wool believers, gave Pacquiao serious chance to pull an upset.
Needless to say, Manny left the ring that night with the biggest in-your-face grin ever.
Not only did he prove he is at par with the best there is in the business, he also delivered the most brutal beating Barrera ever had atop the ring that left many wondering if the Mexican, dubbed as the Baby Faced Assassin, will ever be the same again.
Since then, the two have gone separate ways.
Pacquiao would sweep boxing pundits off their feet with masterful performances in his following fights marred only by a close but unanimous defeat to another Mexican Erik Morales and a controversial draw with Juan Manuel Marquez, recent conqueror of Barrera.
Barrera would bounce back, rack up a few more wins, including the third of his trilogy with Morales, and proved skeptics that his illustrious career is far from over. Until that defeat – in March of this year, to Marquez.
Barrera piled up a record of six wins and one loss (6-0-1 with two knockouts) since his defeat to Pacquiao, who, on the other hand, amassed 6-1-1 with five knockouts over the same period
On October 6 (Sunday, October 7 Philippine time), the two will again lock horns and trade mitts in a rematch that should have happened more than a couple of years ago.
In a contact sports as brutal as boxing, one is only as good as his last outing.
With Barrera bowing in defeat to Marquez, his age and years of battling the best featherweights and lightweights in the world have certainly taken their toll. His reflexes, speed and power have undoubtedly diminished over the years.
But his unfettered will and the thought of a still unfinished business with one-time tormentor in Pacquiao make him a dangerous foe when they clash again at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in October.
Barrera, for all the talks that he is already washed up, is a great champion. And great champions have the ability to draw out one last good performance before they fade into the sunset – which Barrera will surely do after his bout with Pacquiao.
But that could only be made possible if and when Pacquiao forgets he owns the quickest limbs and the devastating left straight among the lightweights today.
You, see. Manny had only once fought the same boxer before – against Morales against whom he had a memorable trilogy.
In their first fight, Manny got too impetuous and relied heavily on his left hand. He was too one-dimensional a fighter to comfort during their first encounter. Pacquiao lost that one but came back via two spectacular knockout wins against the lanky Mexican.
With Barrera, Pacquiao’s straightforward two-fisted attack may no longer be as indefensible against Barrera who knows how to pick his lessons well.
Pacquiao should double up his jabs and religiously throw those emerging powerful right hooks to baffle the Baby Faced Assassin.
And the Filipino ring great should not be thinking that his October 7 date with Barrera will be another walk in the park.
There are simply too many lucrative fights ahead for Pacquiao to even think that Barrera is an easy picking.