Marco Antonio Barrera fought boxing’s elite including Manny Pacquiao, but it was Erik Morales who stood out.
Barrera had a simply incredible career which spanned 20 years, with a deep resume which saw him share the ring with some of the greatest operators from 112lbs to 140lbs.
Pacquiao flattened Barrera, but he wasn’t the Mexican’s toughest foeGettyThe Mexican was famously the only fighter to hand Prince Naseem Hamed a professional defeat, his own career best victory in their showdown in 2001.
It was Hamed’s penultimate bow before retirement from the sport, and a rare stain on the fan-favourite’s record.
He also fought boxing legend Pacquiao twice, being stopped in their first meeting in 2003 before losing on points four years later.
And despite the two icons being as tough as they come in terms of brilliance and skillset, it was Erik Morales that registers in Barerra’s mind.
The Mexican believes ‘El Terrible’ was by far his toughest test in his career.
He told The Ring in 2014: “Morales is definitely the toughest opponent I have faced.
“Because it almost seemed whenever I hit him it wouldn’t hurt him.
“And he’s a guy who would constantly give me pressure, and he hit really, really hard.”
Despite snubbing Pacquiao as his toughest rival, he did name him in the categories as the strongest, hardest puncher and with the fastest hands.
But it was Morales who made his mark, a fighter with whom he shared the ring three times.
GettyIt was in fact three battles with Morales that made their mark on Barrera[/caption]It was an epic and iconic trilogy which began with a split decision loss for Barrera in 2000.
The pair met two years later in a long-awaited rematch, in which Barrera finally got his revenge in more convincing fashion.
With the fighting franchise at one victory apiece, the pair met in 2004 and it was Barrera who scored a razor-thin decision to end their sensational rivalry.
Having secured a WBC title in his second win over Morales, he went on a four fight winning streak, before losing to Juan Manuel Marquez.
He then lost to Pacquiao, but his career went on for several more years, notably losing to Amir Khan in 2009.
Barrera retired in 2011, but has made a comeback fighting Ricky Hatton in a well-spirited exhibition in 2022.
AFPBarrera was notorious for his famous victory over Hamed[/caption]The veteran leaves behind a tremendous legacy as a four-weight world champion.
It was certainly no disgrace losing to Pacquiao, who has one of the most incredible list of achievements in sporting history.
The Filipino fought the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in some of the biggest events of the modern era.
He retired from professional boxing after losing to Yordenis Ugas in 2020, but will now incredibly make a comeback.
It will come in the shape of a shot at a world title aged 46 against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Victory for ‘Pac Man’ will see him enter the record books and become the oldest welterweight world champion ever.
Barrera is now safely behind the ropes and is unlikely to lace up his gloves again.
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