More than a decade ago, Marco Antonio Barrera was written off as a fighter who was on the downside of his career. This was after his two losses to Junior Jones in November of 1996 and April of 1997. Although he had stopped Kennedy McKinney earlier in 1996 to retain his super bantamweight title in the midst of nine-straight defenses, Barrera was dismissed after his pair of defeats.
But, as Barrera proved, he had many more miles left in his gas tank, embarking on a journey that included a scintillating trilogy with Erik Morales, a destruction of Naseem Hamed and a handful of world titles.
As he prepares to face Amir Khan, though, Barrera has more to prove. The 35-year-old, once again, has been written off, and he’s just as anxious to prove he’s still one of boxing’s elite fighters.
“That’s good if they say I’m a contender,” Barrera said on a recent international teleconference call. “It’s even more I have to prove in the fight. I know who I am. If they want to question who I am, they can. I’m getting ready. I want to make clear for (Khan’s trainer) Freddie Roach that Marco Antonio Barrera is going to be 100 percent. He’d better get his kid ready.”
Barrera suffers cut
Although Barrera was scheduled to fight Khan, he already had made a commitment to fight his hometown in Mexico. Freudis Rojas was a late-minute replacement, but rather than pulling out of the January match against a fighter with a 1-7-1 record – which probably would have been the smart thing to do – Barrera stayed in the fight.
In the third round, with Rojas charging at and head-butting him, Barrera suffered a nasty cut over his left eye, stopping the fight and putting the match with Khan in jeopardy.
“Amir Khan shouldn’t be worrying about no cut,” Barrera said. “He should be worried about Marco Antonio Barrera coming to get him.”
Mexican Barrera has experience
While Khan, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has an impressive amateur pedigree, he hasn’t had the same kind of invincibility in the professional ranks. His chin has been questioned – especially after Breidis Prescott knocked him out in the first round in their September 2008 fight – but he’s young, quick and hungry.
Which doesn’t matter to Barrera (65-6, 43 KO).
“My style, I’ve always had it,” Barrera said. “Now, I have an advantage – my experience. My experience next to my abilities in boxing, they’re going to be the key to raising my hand March 14 in London.”
Don King confident in Barrera
Although the British-born Khan (19-1, 15 KO) has talked about beating the fighter he used to admire – and appears confident he can do so – Barrera’s promoter, Don King, says it’s not going to happen.
“We’re declaring war,” King said. “I’m looking forward to him coming over and knocking out Amir Khan. (Barrera) is a fighter of fighters and he’s counting on all the spirits of yesteryear. Pancho Villa, the people that fight for the people and the peasants. That’s what he’s coming with. It’s going to be shocking to everybody in the UK and around the world. Amir, you’re going to be in for a shock.”
Josh Katzowitz - Josh Katzowitz is a freelance writer who covers virtually all sports for a variety of newspapers and magazines around the country. He's ...
