TalkingBoxing Articles
Barrera and Juarez Display Fine Art
SUN May 21, RICHARD McMANUS - Last night's fight on HBO Championship Boxing was vicious warfare, it was stunning art. Marco Antonio Barrera’s (62-4) face swelled, contorted and puffed in ways we haven’t seen before. Rocky Juarez (25-2) was challenged and pushed and out-fought for half the fight.
The early rounds were dominated by Barrera’s jab and crisp right hands. Juarez stalked Barrera while landing meaningful shots at a sporadic rate. In the third round Juarez stunned Barrera with a left hand, sending the Mexican legend backward. Barrera was seen breathing through his mouth from around the third round and at times had trouble keeping his mouthpiece in place.
Juarez landed vicious left and right hands in the second half of the fight, all punches with bad intentions. Barrera answered back with his own artillery. Juarez seemed determined to win the fight through attrition and sheer brutality, hoping to outlast his older foe. At times late in the fight Barrera seemed intent on winning a boxing match. But when it came time to trade punches Barrera was more than willing, more than ready. And Juarez always answered with his own right and lefts. From my vantage point it appeared that Barrera was hurt twice in the fight, Juarez did not appear to be hurt at any time.
Late in the 10th round Juarez landed a right hand that hurt Barrera and made the right side of his face explode with blood. Maybe it was an illusion of television but Barrera’s face looked to be loaded with blood almost at all points after the 5th round.
The 11th round was the stuff of boxing fable, sure to be remembered as
one
of the greatest rounds of this generation. It was the overall
brutality of
each fighter’s attack that was so impressive. Absolute violence,
artistic
expression and hard punches with each man brutalized in new ways. It
was an
absolute thing of beauty. Body punches were traded in the center of
the
ring surely for the sake of the fan’s at ringside who know that a
dedicated
and educated body assault is the most effective path to victory.
Next time a round like that happens make sure you’re alone or with somebody that understands what they‘re watching. It was like Gatti-Ruelas Round 4. It was like an avalanche. It gained momentum and energy with each passing second. It was like a landslide, a thing of power and art. The round moved with force. Each man was heroic for just giving and taking in that round. Usually rounds are made dramatic by knockdowns and comebacks within rounds or when fighters trade knockdowns. This round, no, this fight was dramatic because neither went down.
They say boxing is like art. But this wasn’t Shakespeare, this was Bukowski. This was brutal stuff and nobody tried to pretend it wasn’t. This fight exemplified why boxing is the greatest sport around. While the general public seems to enjoy things that are easily obtained, i.e. instant gratification, it took years of dedication as a fan of boxing to truly understand what I was watching, to truly appreciate it.
The fight was a classic; even more so was the fact that the combat took place at the highest level of the sport. Barrera is one of the greatest to ever enter the squared circle and tonight, to the shock of many, Juarez proved his equal. Just as the Barrera loss to Manny Pacquaio wasn’t a case of Barrera getting old in the ring, such was the case in this fight. It wasn’t a case of Barrera getting old; no Rocky is a great fighter too. Neither deserved to lose and they both deserved to win.
Originally the scorecards were added up and announced to the crowd and the viewing audience at home and the fight was announced a draw. But, as nothing as ever as it appears in the sport of boxing, the score were re-added and the outcome changed.
There were shades of Jose Luis Castillo - Stevie Johnston or Ike Quartey - Jose Luis Lopez as the scorecards were readjusted or tabulated again after the fight result was originally announced as a draw. As it turns out Barrera won a razor thin split decision. Scores were 115-113 for Juarez, 115-113 for Barrera and the unusual score of 115-114 (originally announced as 114-114 which would have made the fight a draw) for Barrera. Either way Barrera hangs on to his belt and either way Rocky Juarez becomes an instant star. As my casual boxing fan brother-in-law sitting next to me said after the fight, “this guy made a name for himself.” True enough. But the educated fans could see this coming a mile away.
A rematch clause is in place for Barrera but the smart money says "there ain't gonna be no rematch."
____________________________________________
On the under-card Jorge Barrios (46-2-1) leveled Janos Nagy (24-1) with a perfectly placed punch to the kidney and ended the affair :49 into Round 1. Nagy was a hero just to get up from the punch. The Staples Center fans booed but they weren’t the ones on the receiving end of the kidney shot.
The previously undefeated Nagy entered the ring having fought his
entire
career in Hungary. Barrios had fought all but two of his fights in
Argentina. The two met in Los Angeles and it was all over in less than
a
minute.
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