BARRERA BEATS JUAREZ IN NARROW DECISION

May 20, 2006

Marco Antonio Barrera retained his super featherweight title against Ricardo "Rocky" Juarez, after the two fought to a near-draw in a bruising 12-round match at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Barrera, one of the great featherweights in recent memory, seemed in control early, keeping his distance and dotting his jab against a man everyone in the arena knew could end the fight with one punch. The champion seemed to know when to turn it on, winning the early rounds and fending off the most serious onslaughts of Juarez.

But by the middle rounds, the momentum had changed. Juarez looked fresh, while the 32-year-old champion had a puffy eye and a cut brow, and was slumping noticeably. Still managing to land the occasional combination, lacing the odd body shot and working the jab, Barrera stayed in the fight, even as his nose bled and he had trouble holding his mouthpiece.

By the tenth round, Juarez's corner warned that he was behind, and urged him to take the fight to Barrera. Juarez answered the call, but Barrera, too, was aware that the match was on the line, and the eleventh round ended in an electrified flurry of punches by both fighters.

In the end, the judges scored it 115-113 Juarez, 115-113 Barrera and 115-114 Barrera. The result so close it was initially mistallied and called a draw, but Judge Ken Morita's card was corrected from 114-114, and the champion was named the winner.

Barrera was more effective with his jabs --landing 23 percent to Juarez's 11 percent--and with his power punches (31 percent to 28 percent) -- but the icon's face looked the worse for the wear in the bout.

Afterwards, Barrera said that he knew the 26-year-old Juarez was "a tough guy, a strong guy, a good puncher."

Juarez, who perhaps waited too long to come on, said that he felt he had acquitted himself in a hostile arena. "The only punch he landed was his jab," he said. "I didn't think that was enough to win the rounds." He said that he felt Barrera stayed away after Juarez hurt him with a hook in the early rounds. "I rate myself a B-minus," he said. "But I still believe I won this fight."