Was Barrera as skillful as Marquez in terms of boxing ability such as using lateral movement and fighting off the backfoot or was he more of a fighter who covered up and brawled and rarely backed out?
As he got older he became more technical ..Its hard to comapare the two since JMM is more of a counter puncher while Barrarea was a bralwer turned boxer ..Both have great ring IQ though ..Tough one but great thread :good
Barrera was a monster in his prime...This man could throw a barrage of power punches walking forward walking backwards stepping to the side, you name it. The way he through combinations while on the back foot was incredible.
I think Marquez is a better pure counter-puncher and superior at finding holes in a fighter's defense and offensive attack. He has the better right hand as well, with Barrera having a superior left hook. Barrera liked to box and move behind his jab and fight at a certain pace (not talking about Barrera the pressure fighter/body destroyer here), and I always thought he looked to be more the relaxed and smoother pure boxer of the two. Marquez is more of a technical counterpuncher than a jabbing-oriented boxer/mover. Both are pretty much on the same level as far as ability is concerned, although they match up differently with certain styles.
No. They are both equally good but Marquez is the better counterpuncher and has better defence while Barrera was a much better offensive fighter and his combination punching were incredible.
Techincally they were on the same level... fought in completely different styles though so it's hard to compare
No. Similar level, but Marquez is better technically. Being a technician is what Marquez does and excels at, while Barrera was a very, very good technician when he chose to use it properly. I"m trying to ignore the memory of my teenage self that was a huge Barrera fans and is shouting "Heresy!" even as I type this...
Reason why I made this thread was after watching Pac-Barrera 1. Pac was so unorthodox in that fight that he did not have any answers for Pac. I loved Pac in that fight. I dont buy the excuse that he had training camp issues whatsoever. It might be a bit off topic but Im bringing Floyd into the equation. I feel as if Floyd is not a better counterpuncher than Marquez. Though a Pac-Floyd fight is still 50-50 IMO if ever they do fight.
Do you think MArquez would have stuggled with Junior Jones the way Barrera did? I don't think so, that is the difference in their technical skill. I'm sure you could then use the same analogy with Chris John but I won't.
I agree with a previous post they were about equal in terms of skills ..Each man did something better than the other in certain areas ..Thats what set them apart imo..Barrera the better combination puncher JMM the better counter puncher ..
It depends what you consider his prime.His early success was more far friendly so he had a good fan base when he slowed down to lengthen his career.The Barrera of 2003 would not have struggled with Jones like he did previously. A more suitable analogy would be to compare the older,more technical Barrera with Marquez.Marquez was probably better suited to that type of boxing,but could never match Barrera'a offensive peak. Both magnificent warriors and first ballot HOF's.I love Morales and Marquez but Barrera will always be my favourite of the three. It's not the same without him.(not officialy retired but you guys know what I mean)