LAS VEGAS, 6 October 2007 — Marco Antonio Barrera knows he’s in the twilight of his boxing career, but before he goes he has a score to settle with Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao today.
The non-title super featherweight bout is a rematch of Pacquiao’s 2003 11th-round technical knockout of Barrera, whose corner threw in the towel.
“It was a total meltdown,” Barrera said of the drubbing he took from Pacquiao. “It was Manny’s night. He took it to me.” Losing the way he did to Pacquiao has gnawed at Barrera’s pride. He admits as much. “I’m taking this one personally,” Barrera said. “I have to get my revenge.” Barrera, who brings a record of 63-5 with 42 knockouts, has said he will retire after the fight.
“I’ve been thinking about this for the last three years,” Barrera said. “I talked it over with my wife, my family, my friends.It’s something that I really want to do. I’m ready to pass the torch.”
But Barrera will have his work cut out if he wants to go out a winner against Pacquiao, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s Fighter of the Year for 2006.
Pacquiao, 28, is 44-3 with two draws and 35 knockouts, stopping Mexico’s Jorge Solis in the eighth round last April in his most recent fight.
The Philippines hero has gone 18-1 with two drawn since 1999, losing only in 2005 when Mexico’s Erik Morales took a unanimous decision at Las Vegas.
Peter Defends ‘Title’ Against
McCline in New York
In New York, Nigerian Samuel Peter’s first world title bout today will be a title defense, thanks to a twist of fate and the complicated state of the heavyweight division.
The 27-year-old Las Vegas-based fighter had been scheduled to challenge Oleg Masakev for the World Boxing Council title at Madison Square Garden on Saturday before the champion withdrew with a back injury.
The WBC, who made Peter beat James Toney twice to earn top-contender status, tagged him their interim heavyweight champion, a title he’ll defend on Saturday against American Jameel McCline.
“The switch of opponents doesn’t bother me,” Peter insists. “I’m a fighter and I will go in and do what I have to do.” McCline, who was expecting to take on former champion Vitali Klitschko on Sept. 22, saw that fall through when Klitschko had to undergo back surgery.
It then looked as if the 37-year-old McCline would take on DaVarryl Williamson on the undercard of the WBC title bout between champion Oleg Maskaev and Peter. But Maskaev then dropped out, also with a back injury, and rather than scrap the entire program, promoters went looking for an opponent to fight Peter. Now McCline is happy to have another shot at a heavyweight title. He fought Chris Byrd for the International Boxing Federation title in 2004, knocking the champion down in the second round before losing a split decision.
Khan Taking No Risks
Over Title Defense
In Nottingham, England, Amir Khan is so determined to show he has learned from being knocked down in his last fight that he has opted not to observe Ramadan fasting in the buildup to his first Commonwealth lightweight title defense on Saturday.
The undefeated 20-year-old faces fellow Englishman Scott Lawton in his 14th professional fight still smarting over being sent to the canvas by Scotland’s Willie Limond three months ago. Khan, who won silver at the 2004 Olympic Games, got off the floor to stop Lawton at the end of seven rounds to lift the Commonwealth belt.
But the scare led him to initiate a review of his preparations for fights and one of the results has been that he has not been fasting during daylight hours this week, as he normally would throughout the Muslim holy month.
“I have cut back on a lot of stuff,” Khan told AFP. “I’ve been in the gym more this time. After a fight when I have got a chance I will do the commercial stuff, but it has not got in the way this time.
“For my last fight I was up later than I should have been the night before and I didn’t sleep on the afternoon of the fight.
“I’m not going to make the same mistake this time and am going to make sure I rest on the day and have an early night before.
“I had a few problems in the fight and my timing wasn’t right and it gave me a wake up call. “It made me realize that you cannot go into a fight thinking that you are going to knock somebody out.
“My last fight was a massive occasion for me and I let the excitement get to me. It was my first major title fight and I let it get to me.” On the decision not to fast, Khan explained: “It would be hard for me to do the fasting for Ramadan.
From 5am to 7pm you are fasting and it’s hard to train during that period and keep your metabolism right so I can make the weight.
