Before the third installment in the intense rivalry between Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, Morales said too often in his sport, the excitement surrounding the buildup to a big match fizzles out when the fight itself ends up as a dud.
He predicted Morales-Barrera III would live up to the hype. It was a prescient call.
"I'm glad people are expecting big things from this fight," Morales, of Tijuana, Mexico, said. "Mexican fighters have shown again and again that we're the ones who give it all in the ring. We show how to fight."
The high expectations were not only met but exceeded Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, when Barrera won by majority decision against Morales in a 12-round war that secured the series' place in history as one of boxing's great trilogies.
The victory gave Barrera, of Mexico City, the world super featherweight championship -- as well as bragging rights in the 36-round trilogy, in which Morales won the first meeting in 2000 and Barrera the second in 2002.
"It's an honor to put Mexico on top again," said Barrera (59-4, 41 knockouts). "To give a great trilogy, to give three great fights in Las Vegas, is just a great honor."
Morales (47-2, 34 KOs), battered by a barrage of blows from Barrera, was bleeding from the nose, and his right eye was swelling shut as the fight wore on. Morales appeared off-balance against Barrera's aggression early, but the two men stood toe-to-toe in the later rounds, trading open shot after open shot and bringing the crowd of 11,162 to its feet.
Observers at ringside were calling it the fight of the year.
"This was not the result we were looking for, but I think we did a good fight," Morales said. "I'm very proud to be Mexican. We proved that we're the ones who give boxing the better fights."
Although another chapter in the storied rivalry remains a possibility, Morales' anticipated move to lightweight could make the third fight the last between the two men.
"I am looking to move up to 135 pounds," Morales said. "Let's look to bigger things."
Oscar De La Hoya, Barrera's promoter, said he would sit down with his fighter and discuss the next step in his career.
"As always we'll give him the final decision," De La Hoya said.
Barrera, a 3-1 underdog after heavy wagering on Morales in the week leading to the fight, appeared emotionally moved by the victory.
"It means the world to me," he said. "I wanted to demonstrate that I'm a better fighter -- not an ordinary fighter, the way people were saying."
Judge Paul Smith scored the fight a draw, 114-114; Jerry Roth had it 115-113 and Larry O'Connell saw it 115-114, both for Barrera.
The Sun scored it 116-112 for Barrera.
Punch statistics from CompuBox indicated Barrera clearly got the best of Morales. Most significantly, Barrera landed 223 of 451 power punches (49 percent) whereas Morales connected on only 182 of 572 (32 percent). Barrera also had the edge in jabs, landing 67 of 314 (21 percent) to Morales' 49 of 236 (21 percent). In total punches, Barrera was 290 of 765 (38 percent); Morales, 231 of 808 (29 percent).
Even so, several rounds were so close they justifiably could have been awarded to either fighter.
"Saying that I was robbed (would be) like lying to the people," Morales said. "I don't want to cry, nothing like that. I'm not crying. I'm saying I did what I could in this fight."
Barrera used the uppercut effectively, often in tandem with wide-open left hooks that gave Morales trouble.
"I learned from the first fight and the second fight that uppercuts were going to be instrumental to the fight," Barrera said. "I worked on left and right uppercuts to set up combinations."
The splendid battle in the ring was marred by a couple of minor flare-ups afterward.
Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said O'Connell's scoring the 11th round 10-10 could be grounds for a protest by Morales. Had he scored it 10-9 for Morales, the fight would have been a majority draw. "In Nevada, you're not supposed to score rounds 10-10," Arum said.
Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said he prefers judges make a firm decision rather than scoring a round even, but pointed out European judges (O'Connell is from England) are more likely to award even rounds.
"I don't want them guessing, either, if they're not sure," Ratner said. "I want them to be sure, especially in a fight like this."
Barrera said when he walked across the ring to shake Morales' hand after the fight, Morales threw water in Barrera's father's face.
Conversely, "I was a gentleman at all times," Barrera said.
And De La Hoya got in a dig against rival promoter Arum. Acting as a translator for Barrera at the postfight news conference, De La Hoya said, "He says he wanted to demonstrate tonight that Golden Boy Promotions is better than Top Rank."
When Arum began growling, De La Hoya cut him off: "I'm just translating," he said.
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