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Misc Boxing/MMA Boxing Archive Preview: Barrera - Marquez
Written by Scott Swerbinsky

Scott Swerbinsky
Great fight tonight on pay per view, as two of Mexico's greatest fighters square off in a long anticipated matchup. Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez finally get it on at the Mandalay Bay, with Marquez making his debut at Super-featherweight to try and take Barrera's title at that weight. The Spoon Man checks in with the preview.  In a sport where the fights we want to see happen sometimes never materialize, there are nights like tonight where you just want to say "thank you". From the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, two of the most skillful and entertaining fighters in the sport will go toe to toe in what should be a fantastic fight.

Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4, 42 KO's) will put his Super Featherweight Championship on the line when he steps in the ring with Featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez (46-3-1, 35 KO's). This is a fight that has been talked about for a few years and is finally here and going to happen.

"Fearless" is the title for the main event tonight. That one word pretty much sums up these two superstars.

Barrera is known for his entertaining wars in the ring and has many of them on the resume. His trilogy with Erik Morales is unforgettable, and has made him a household name and a HBO favorite. Nobody has really been willing to give Marquez a huge fight because of his will to win and overall skill level. The classy Barrera knew he needed this fight to build his already lofty resume.

The only truly blockbuster fight that Marquez has had to this point was when he took on the ferocious Manny Pacquiao, which might have been the best fight I've ever seen. Pacquiao dominated the first round and battered Marquez. He knocked him down three times and made him a bloody mess. After that, Juan Manuel put on a boxing clinic and won almost every round. The fight ended in a controversial draw. Since then, it has been hard for him to get a fight with a big name.

That all changes tonight.

Will all of the beatings and wars catch up to Barrera like we've seen recently with Erik Morales and a few others known for making a career of brutal battles that go the distance? Is Juan Manuel Marquez's desire to show everyone he is a top pound for pound fighter going to be enough to win tonight? Do we have another classic on our hands this evening?

All of those questions will be answered tonight and I am looking forward to seeing it all unfold.

I see this bout starting as a classic boxing match for a few rounds that will turn into a street fight for the rest of the evening. I am a huge fan of both of these guys and their styles. This is one of the most evenly matched big fights we've seen in the sport in some time. I could seeing it going either way and possibly setting up a rematch. If either fighter ends up being dominated I would be shocked.

That is why they step into the squared circle.

I can't wait to tune in and see what happens.

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