ANG HULING PARADA PATUNGONG HALL OF FAME

(October 13, 2007)

Wala na ngang natitira sa tangke. Matapos ang 12 rounds, malinaw kung saan na patungo ang karera ni Marco Antonio Barrera. Ang pamamahinga ay isang katotohanan at wastong desisyon lamang na ito’y yakapin. Hindi na siya ang parehong kampiyon ng nakaraang mga taon na may katulad na lagablab ang mga kilos, suntok at determinasyon sa ibabaw ng ring. Iniwan na siya ng mga ito; pahiwatig na kailangan na niyang iwanan ang daigdig na niyakap niya, at yumakap din sa kanya, sa loob ng maningning na 18 taon. Tapos na ang parada at kailangan na niyang magpaalam. Kailangan na niyang hubarin ang pares ng gloves.

118-109, 118-109, at 115-112 (teka, Barrera-Pacquiao ba ang pinanood ng Judge na ito?), malinaw na ipinakita ng mga scorecards ang naging hitsura ng laban: lubhang makaisang-panig. Bagamat apat na rounds (rounds 1,4,5 at 8) ang ibinigay ko kay Barrera sa huling laban niya, lubha pa rin itong makaisang-panig. Hindi na siya ang katulad na Barrera na nakipagpalitan ng mabibigat na kamao kay Erik Morales sa kanilang klasikong trilogy, ang Barrera na sistematikong nagpayuko kay Naseem Hamed sa isang labanang napaka-taktikal at lubhang-metodikal, o ang kilala nating Barrera na may hindi mababaling determinasyon upang manalo. Parang hindi siya ang naglalaro sa ring noong lingo ng Oktubre-7. Kunsabagay, ganito rin halos ang larawan noong 2003.

Gayunpaman, nakamamangha na hindi siya napatumba ni Manny Pacquiao, ang puncher na nagmamay-ari ng pinakamabagsik na kumbinasyon sa daigdig na boksing ngayon. Kung ito ang naging layon ni Barrera, ang lumaban hindi upang manalo kundi ang tapusin ang buong distansya ng 12 rounds, tagumpay siya. Masakit sa matang panoorin ang huling kalahati ng labang iyon para sa mga Barrera fans pagkat iisa lamang ang naglalaro upang manalo habang ang isa ay umiiwas upang hindi masaktan. Kung ito ay isang indikasyon, tapos na nga ang boksing para sa kanya.

Pero walang knock-out o knock-down, natutuwa ako doon. Ang lahat ng mga dakilang boksingero ay may mga huling mahuhusay na laban o ang parada ng pamamaalam sa ibabaw ng ring. Kung ang pananatiling nakatayo sa kanyang mga paa sa kabuuang distansya ng laban ang paradang iyon, mahusay na gabi pa rin. Hindi ko kukuwestiyonin ang puso ng Baby-Faced Assassin. Ang Hall-of-Fame ay isang masayang hantungan.

Sa kabila ng umaabanteng edad at tila-gastadong katawan, may mga sandali pa rin sa laban na nagpapakita na ang mamang kalaban ni Pacquiao ang kinikilala bilang tagapagmana ng pangalan ni Julio Cesar Chavez. Mga sandali kung bakit siya ang tinaguriang pinakamahusay na mehikanong manlalaro ng kanyang henerasyon. Nakita sa rounds1 at (lalo na, sa round) 5 ito, bagamat limitado, ang bagsik ng kanyang panukat para sa mga perpektong counter-punches, mga kumbinasyong nakakapagpalito, at mga footwork na nakapagdidikta ng takbo ng laban. Tumatama subalit parang hindi iniinda. Mga marka ba iyon ng katandaan? Mga lamat ng maraming pinagdaanang giyera? o sadyang matibay lamang ang kalaban? Huh! Kung nagtagpo lamang sa parehong edad at naging magkapanabayan ang dalawang boksingerong iyon, maaaring iba ang naging kinalabasan ng laban.

Ang rounds 6 hanggang matapos, maliban lamang sa round 8, ay purong palabas ni Pacquiao. Hindi na niya nasasabayan ang ipo-ipong suntok. Wala na sa lugar at perpektong sandali ang mga footwork at counter-punches. Mga tanda na hindi na siya lumalaban upang manalo. Naglalaro na lamang siya upang makumpleto ang buong distansya ng nakatayo sa kanyang mga paa. Sumusuntok upang manatiling buo ang hangarin na hindi lubusang masaktan.

Ang hindi lubusang masaktan. Iyon na ang naging laban niya. Sapagkat hindi ko alam kung bakit patuloy pa ring pinapayagang lumaban ang boksingerong ito na nagkaroon ng operasyon sa ulo. Hindi lamang simpleng gamutan kundi isang todong operasyon. Kinailangang buksan ang kanyang utak, tanggalin ang mga namuong dugo at patungan ng titanium plate ang bahagi ng bungong tinanggal. Sa kanyang kalagayang medikal, isang tahasang paghamon kay kamatayan ang pagharap sa isang Manny Pacquiao sa ibabaw ng ring. Dalawa ang kanyang kalaban: ang pinakamalas sumuntok sa timbangan ng pound-for-pound at ang babasaging kalagayang medikal.

Kung hindi puso at tapang ang tawag doon, hindi ko alam. At matapos nga ang tantyahan sa unang anim na rounds, tamang desisyon lamang na umiwas sa mga natitirang rounds. Sapagkat kung may boksingero sa kanyang weight reach na may kakayahang magbigay na permanenteng lamat sa katawan niya, o maging ng kamatayan, ito ay si Pacquiao.

Lumaban ba siya hindi upang manalo? Anuman ang sagot ay ayos lang; ang huling parada patungo sa Hall of Fame ay magandang laban pa rin.

WHY THE BABY FACED ASSASSIN WOULD BEAT THE PACMAN?

(July 19, 2007)

Concluding that he’s done is but logical; that the many brutal wars he has fought has finally caught up on him. With that tear and wear thing, anything that is less than a miracle won’t do to pull this one off. Not against a pound for pound king who happens to own the most devastating punches in the business.

Or so they say.

It is safe to say that Mexican star Marco Antonio Barrera’s 18-year illustrious career is fast drawing to an end. Looking closely on his last fights, the 33 year-old Baby-Faced Assassin has significantly slowed down; the sting of his left hook has considerably diminished as well as the power that once defined him as a very dangerous pressure-puncher. The odds are all against him. His best days in the squared ring may be finally over, but if there was something that has not left this future Hall-of-Famer, it’s his heart—that unwavering courage and unbreakable will to win he displayed in his classic trilogy with Erik Morales. That is something that will be tested once more in his coming rematch against Manny Pacquiao.

Many felt that this fight against Pacquiao would be the nail that would seal the coffin of his career. Considering the loads of tough fights he has endured and his now advancing age, it seems that only a miracle can make him win against the Filipino southpaw who, as others loved to put, is at the pinnacle of his career.

Barrera will go to the rematch coming off a loss against compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez (though I personally scored the Marquez fight as a draw; or even a possible narrow win for the Assassin had the ref not penalized him for throwing that stupid punch while Marques was down). Prior to this fight, his two outings against Rocky Juarez were very telling: the master boxer-puncher has remarkably slowed down.

Preview of the coming rematch

But if there was a fight that could best serve as preview of the coming rematch, it was the first fight. Barrera’s total demolition in the hands of the Pac Man in their 2003 meeting was so complete and brutally devastating that many had predicted the downfall of his glorious career and the end of his days as an elite fighter in the pound for pound ranking. He was simply out-jabbed, outclassed, out-sped and overpowered by the hard-hitting Filipino whirlwind. Pacquiao, who was a very hungry fighter back then, brought out the fight to Barrera by relentlessly beating him down throughout the game. Although seemingly uncertain how he would keep up from the heat Pacquiao has brought in the ring, he refused to bow down and continued to fight amidst total confusion. But the hungry Pac monster proved too much to handle. The stoppage inevitably came in the 11th.

But that was just now a footnote to the coming Pacquiao rematch. Expect Barrera to come more determined. Unlike in their first meeting where Pacquiao was the hungry fighter, it was Barrera who needs this fight more than Pacquiao so he could close his career in a high note.

And no, he was not a done fighter yet. How many times he had made the experts looked fool by proving them wrong? Every time they would say Marco’s done, he would annihilate his next opponent. Every time they would say that his days as a world-class fighter were over, he would resurface as a totally different fighter. He’s a very smart fighter who actually learns from his previous defeat and come back a better fighter in his next fight. This amazing capability of re-inventing himself has made the world a believer once and again.

The face-first left hooking brawler

Barrera debuted in pro boxing in 1989 at the tender age of 15. He won his first 43 fights, 31 by knock-out, slashing through the bantamweight and super-bantamweight division. Back then, the Baby-faced Assassin was a typical Mexican brawler who charges with his face first and let that vintage left hook fly to the body. His career shot into prominence in 1995 when he defeated on points the much respected Daniel Jimenez to earn the WBO super bantamweight belt. But it was his 1996 war against Kennedy McKinney that sealed his distinction as a(n exciting) boxing superstar. Both men hit the canvass in the closing rounds before Barrera finally punctuated the brawl by KOing McKinney in the 12th. Barrera busied himself in this year by knocking-out three more opponents before tasting the first defeat of his career latter in this year at the hands of Junior Jones.

Jones demolished Barrera in a strong fashion by peppering him with right crosses. The cross rarely missed and by the 5th, the Assassin was humbled. Jones simply shattered Barrera’s aura of near-invincibility, from which the Mexicans career was built upon. The pair clashed again after few months in a more tactically fought game. Barrera also lost the rematch, but after displaying significant improvements in his defense and overall boxing skills indicative of his metamorphosis from a face-first wild brawler into a more complete boxer-puncher.

Barrera went on a roll after the Jones rematch by knocking out seven more opponents (one of which was declared no-contest) and decisioning another one. Then in 2000 Barrera met the rising Mexican star, Erik Morales, in a unification battle for WBC-WBO super-bantamweight title. Everybody knew what happened in this fight. Many felt that the Baby-faced assassin won the game but Morales claimed the victory.

Shocking the world

After the first Morales fight, where many were claiming that the new kid had just supplanted him as Mexico’s boxing star, Barrera blew up Luis Freitas via round one KO. In his succeeding fight, he had again showed remarkable boxing skills against the respected Jesus Salud by schooling him with his terrific defense, superb jab and excellent footwork before finally scoring a TKO in the 6th. Then Barrera shocked the world by masterfully demolishing Prince Naseem Hamed in 2001 in their featherweight battle. Barrera went into that fight as an underdog that nobody gave him a chance against the great and unbeaten Prince. But Barrera proved the world wrong by displaying masterful skills, showing great patience, and applying more science in the fight. That was a totally different Barrera the world has witnessed: gone were the first-face charges and brawling attitude in the ring. A complete master craftsman was born; his place in the pound for pound elites was cemented.

A master craftsman

The master craftsman went on further in his career by defeating foes either by engaging them in a brawl or by methodically breaking them down in the process. That guy can now comfortably shift styles between a hard-charging brawler and a master boxer-puncher—something that he employed with a great degree of success in his succeeding bouts.

Of course, everything in his vast arsenal was nullified by Pacquiao in 2003. After his shocking lost to the Filipino lefty, people were calling for his retirement and experts were in unison saying that he’s done. But he proved them wrong again by racking successive wins either by KO or by decision. He KOed the slick boxer Paulie Ayala in the 10th and decisively beat the heavily favorite Erik Morales in a super featherweight title fight where he abandoned his slick counter punching and reverted back to his aggressive brawling style. Also, he dismantled Mzonke Fana in two rounds.

Barrera was such a great fighter that he knew how to turn his losses into win by actually learning from them and tremendously improving afterwards. He definitely has an edge against Pacman in terms of overall boxing skills and ring smarts. But can he keep up with the trademark relentless pressure Pacquio would apply to him? He needs to be extra cautious this time around.

Can he win this one? At 33, Marco is still a very dangerous fighter. That sharp, slick, perfectly-timed right hook that sent Marquez down in his knees in the 7th round of their last fight screams something: he is still that dangerous despite of his advancing age and seemingly wearing body. Would that work against Pacman? Barrera is set to prove the world wrong again.