Fearless

Barrera vs. Marquez bout

Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez and champ Marco Antonio Barrera grapple for the WBC super featherweight title Saturday night (Sunday morn in RP) in Las Vegas.

That’s enough reason to stir a crowd in our house—as you know, I belong to a family of sports lovers; especially boxing. I skipped (actually, just ate late) lunch to watch this match. I’d say this one’s good!

I think pound-per-pound Barrera has an advantage; his jabs are excellent—solid and connecting. Marquez’ punches are swift but seemed not connecting which made Barrera looked invincible and unaffected for the first six rounds. You can hardly tell who won every end of the round. These two fighters exchange punches every time it’s the last 10 seconds!

The more exciting round is the seventh. Marquez was a blast. Just a few more punches and he could have brought Barrera to canvass. Surprisingly, Barrera hit him on the chin followed by another blow which landed Marquez on his knees. Unfortunately, the referee called it a slip and deducted a point from Barrera for throwing another punch while Marquez was down. That hurt Barrera a lot. I was counting the low blows Marquez gave him and I think it was three or four. The referee did not acknowledge that.

The next few rounds were quite in favor of Marquez although I’m convinced that Barrera can make a comeback. If Marquez wins, maybe not with a big margin. After the twelve rounds of boxing, the judges declared a unanimous winner—Marquez as the new champ.

Poor Barrera. He was tough. If not for a wrong call, I’d say there’s a chance he could have won the fight. Marquez is a good fighter as well. Anyhow, the decision can be challenged because of the call on the slip.

Another beautiful match. Perhaps a rematch will be in the oven soon.

Now I can’t wait for Oscar to be in the ring again. The date is May 5. By then, I know my heart will skip a beat.