Was This Really Once And For All?
 
By Will "The Thrill" Trillo


Well the big fight is over and everything is starting to settle in. Barrera did what most thought he could not, and now everyone is starting to guess, and second guess, trying to figure out exactly what went down on Saturday night. I think it's safe to say we all expected a great action fight, but the outcome and the way it was executed was a surprise to most of those "in the know" and all you have to do is check last weeks predictions and odds to verify that!
 
Morales was cocky and arrogant days before the fight saying the only reason he was fighting Marco one more time was because we in the press were begging for a third bout, and that Marco didn't really even belong in the same ring with someone of his superior skill and heart! He pointed to Barrera's loss to Manny "Paqman" and a win over a washed up Paulie Ayala as proof to back up his pompous attitude.

And then there was Marco, doing what he does best. Quiet reserved, shunning the media and spotlight days before the fight instead of embracing it. His no show to the final press conference was taken as a slap in the face to Top Rank and the media who were left with a handful of unanswered questions! But as Marco would reveal after the fight, talk is just that...talk. Actions speak louder than words! And action is just what we got from Marco, and lots of it.
 
The first and most noticeable note in the fight was the disparity in weight when the 2 entered the ring come fight time. Only a day before, both were right at the 130 pound limit give or take an ounce or two. But when the bell rang Marco had put on an expected few extra pounds but Eric had blown up to 142 pounds or more! That's just about ½ pound an hour added since the last time he stepped on the scale! It was also roughly 9 or 10 pounds more than Marco and better minds than mine told the Pay-Per-View audience that this difference was going to be more than a heavy task for Barrera, in fact it was suggested that this was a bad sign, Marco was fighting a giant! WRONG! Morales looked like someone who just slopped on a dozen pounds, slow, lethargic, unable to get out of his own way. After the fight he himself admitted that it was hard for him to get off during the opening rounds! No kidding? I guess that's why you couldn't get out of the way from the punch that landed early in the first round that busted your nose Eric, and pretty much sealed your fate, it bothered you for the rest of the night. If not for the occasional stiff jab that landed and knocked Marco backwards, you were ineffective and all the while Barrera was putting on a clinic over the first 6 rounds, you were lucky to win one of those!
 
But somewhere in about round 6 or 7 we saw Eric begin to turn things around. Call it what you will, heart, desire, maybe he dropped some of that water weight and was moving around better, more acclimated to his body size, whatever. I'll call it Eric Morales doing what we all knew he could do, he is a warrior who is not going to just lay down and die. Broken nose, swallowing blood, can't breath, no problem for Morales who suddenly looked like a fighter on a mission!
 
The second half of the fight brought us some of the best exchanges of the night and reminded us why the first 2 fights were so entertaining, and why we wanted more. Vicious hard punching exchanges highlighted the 2nd half of the fight and Morales took most of them. Keyword: MOST!

Although he came back so valiantly and overcame more that his share of setbacks in this one, Barrera held his own during this time and was able to grab a couple rounds of his own in the latter half and that was enough to seal Eric's fate!
 
Barrera was methodical and precise with his performance and deserves the close victory, he earned it. Morales showed us the heart of a Champion in defeat, coming back from an early beating and making this fight another thriller to remember.
 
But questions still remain. What if the one judge who scored the fight even in round 11 followed suit with the other 2 judges and gave the round to Morales? Top Rank has already expressed concern over this rare 10-10 round scoring! And it appeared to this reporter that referee Bayless may have inadvertently put a hand on Barrera's back in the beginning of the 12th while Morales had Marco on the verge of going down, if Barrera even touches the canvas with a glove, we are looking at a 10-8 round in favor of Eric. Did that slight touch by Bayless help stave of a knockdown in Eric's favor? And what of that extra weight Morales carried into the ring? Would he have been better suited to come in closer to the 130 limit? And what about that padding that was cut out of Barrera's glove and taped to the back of his wrist? Would Morales have those knots on the back of his head if the padding was where it was supposed to be?
 
I know this bout was titled, "Once And For All", but I can't help but think that this thing ain't settled yet.


Questions or Comments? Please email Will "The Thrill" Trillo