MARQUEZ THE NEW CHAMP

Juan Manuel Marquez wins by unanimous decision victory.

Photos by Will Hart

In the final bout of the evening, after two heated and contested matches on the under card, there was a sense that Marquez needed to make a showing tonight against Barrera. If the judges of the first two fights--the results which drew surprised boos from the crowd-- were any indicator, a clear favorite might upset even the best showing from a contender.

You could hardly blame someone for thinking this way; Marco Antonio Barrera's history as the reigning Mexican champ and the much talked about follow-up match, pitting the winner of this bout against Manny Pacquiao, for which Barrera would be a clear draw for fans and promoters alike, all weighed heavily on this event.

These were the persistent questions during the weeks leading up to the fight: Is boxing heralding in a new super featherweight champion? Can Marquez dethrone Barrera as the representative to Mexican boxing? Or would Barrera answer many of his critics since his last match up against Rocky Juarez, where he played a coy and defensive fighter, teaching Juarez a boxing lesson that many people thought wouldn't test well against a better, more dynamic fighter like a Marquez?

Early into the match, both fighters showed their counterpunching strengths. At times it looked as if Barrera was fighting a mirror of himself, with blows being matched evenly between the fighters. The crowd was divided like a border, chanting from one side to the next-- one minute for Marquez, the next for Barrera.

The fight was dictated by huge body shots from Marquez, vicious inner exchanges by Barrera and by unbridled intensity from both fighters. Where Barrera dominated the second round with big shots and faster exchanges, Marquez quickly turned on the heat, out-landing Barrera into the end of the first half of the fight. To the satisfaction of the crowd, both fighters eagerly pressed the action as the first half drew to a close, raising to their feet at the opening of the seventh, in what may turn out to be a classic, show stopping, 'best of' round.

In a surprise moment as Marquez had a dazed Barrera against the ropes, the older fighter rallied, landing a large shot to Marquez's head, dropping him to the mat. Unfortunately for Barrera, he rushed into the falling Marquez, obscuring referee Jay Nady's view of the knockdown, and striking a fallen Marquez. "This is boxing, we are Mexicans. This is the sport. I did the necessary things to win. He went down and the ref didn't touch me. I never connected that punch, I never threw it... " Barrera said after the fight.

"I won that fight and I don't know what happened... They were bad judges..."

Bad judges or not, the resulting penalty left Barrera with a 10-8 loss, rather than the 10-8 win of the round he could of had. It would be the turning point of the match, as after a shaky eighth round, Marquez dusted off the cobwebs and began another attack, winning most of the final rounds of the fight, paving the way for his ultimate victory.

What also might have happened, or so many fight fans would no doubt like to see, is the birth of a rematch war between these two excellent fighters, with the winner finally going on to fight Manny Pacquiao down the road. What is clear right now is that next winter when we go to the tapes, there will most likely be one clear fight of the year' candidate right here.