A question for those that rank Barrera over Morales.....

Honestly, this fight is a joy to watch. So I'll score it right here for you.

Round 1: Barrera is the boss. He lands the harder, cleaner punches. Morales has a good series in the middle of the round and a beautiful uppercut, but Barrera matches him and then some. He's also the one pushing the fight. Morales doesn't look sharp. 10-9, Barrera.

Round 2: It's a shootout round, and Morales gets the better of it, landing more punches and throwing more punches. He also backs Barrera up and gets some good fighting off the ropes done. Barrera lands the best combination of the round, one of the most beautiful 1-2 into uppercut's ever thrown, but Morales just overwhelms him with output and sharp, cracking right hands for 70% of this frame. 10-9, Morales.

Round 3: One sided round for Barrera. Outjabs Morales, blocks or slips a ton of punches, and just lights him up with hard combinations flowing off his left hand. Morales wakes up, and lands a couple GREAT combinations in the last minute, but by and large, he gets his tail whipped in this frame. 10-9, Barrera. Easy round to score.

Round 4: Close round. Morales is more aggressive, and pushes the fight, but Barrera lands his jab better, and lands the better combinations. Morales is finally getting off and looking good doing it, but most of it hits air, and most of what Barrera throws hits El Terrible's face. Morales FINALLY lands a crushing right hand at about the 2 minute mark, though. This round is mainly the pair trading combinations at mid-range, but I much prefer Barrera's work: He's landing hard shots, he pushes Morales back when he opens up, and he's making Morales miss beautifully. 10-9, Barrera. Close round, but I feel reasonably clear. Barrera is just outpunching him, landing the harder punches.

Round 5: Morales just isn't able to land anything at range, and I can tell by his body language it's driving him nuts. His jab is hitting air and gloves, and his long right hands are missing by a mile. Barrera is countering Morales rushes with body shots and hooks. Morales' busted up face bothering him, he keeps messing with it. Barrera is just landing blistering hooks and right hands, Morales only lands a couple shots when he throws eight or more. Morales finally starts finding his target at range near the end of the round, landing some hard right hands. Right as Morales is resurgent, Barrera puts the button on a good round, backing Morales up with some wicked body shots. 10-9, Barrera. Easy round to score.

Round 6: Play by play not needed. Barrera lights Morales up. Sizzling combinations. Just beautiful work. Stevie Wonder could score this round for Barrera. Morales is wobbled twice. It's interesting it ended up so one-sided, because Morales actually started it really well, outboxing Barrera behind his jab for a full minute to start the sucker. Barrera really starts pushing his **** in around the 1:40 mark, and I don't use that phrase lightly. 10-9 Barrera.

Round 7: Here, Morales looks like Morales. Finally finds a groove on the outside, and the right hand starts landing. By attacking off Barrera's right angle, he takes the left away, and finds the right. Beautiful boxing by Morales. Great right hands, Morales gets it done. 10-9 Morales, clearly. Easy round to score. Really a good round to study if you are looking for a fighter keying off the jab to land big right hands. First round of the fight where Morales decisively outjabs Barrera, too.

Round 8: Morales is getting into a real groove, here, and he takes it too Barrera for the duration. Terrific double right hands, and excellent boxing off of angles. Barrera looks frustrated as hell, and he is really getting hit and outboxed here. 10-9, Morales. Fairly one-sided round, really, despite Barrera actually landing hard shots in return, unlike in the 7th.

Round 9: Barrera outboxes him, by and large, with huge combinations that pushes Morales back and really look hurtful, but it is a close round, because Morales' right hand over the jab is still landing. Morales lands more, but they are mostly stiff shots, not really solid or hurtful looking apart from a few big right hands, and Barrera's punches, though fewer and farther between, are resounding and powerful. I'll take Barrera, 10-9. Put a gun to my head, gimme the fighter whose punches are actually doing big damage, or look like they are, with the additional sway of Barrera's defense being more effective, he parries and blocks great in this round. Morales punches just didn't stick in this round. It's clear that Barrera deserves to win it.

Round 10: Barrera is so good this round. Morales looks lost, surprisingly. Barrera's jab lands, his hook lands, his right hand is going right between Morales gloves. Crystal clear round for Barrera. Almost as clear as the sixth. Beautiful, beautiful boxing by Barrera. Morales get's nothing done of note, gets hit by plenty. 10-9 Barrera.

Round 11: Barrera looks exhausted, and Morales is on the hunt. Morales fighting like he knows he desperately needs a knock out. Barrera starts out using that aggression against Morales very well, landing hard counters as Morales is overeager, but eventually, Morales just says "screw it", and marches forward throwing constantly. He's landing, Barrera is landing back, but it becomes clear around the 2:10 mark that Morales is taking over and landing more. Morales is just all over Barrera at the middle point, and the sparse shots MAB is landing back are losing their zip, but he is still landing back. Right as Morales appears to have Barrera in trouble under his unending torrent of blows, Barrera explodes back at the end of the round, and lands several massive haymakers that clearly sting Morales. Morales gets his legs back and attacks, but gets the worst of the final exchange. GREAT round, Barrera made it close with his final 30 second rush, but give me Morales, 10-9. He threw more, landed more, and had Barrera under a serious assault for 90 seconds, looked the boss. Morales might have stopped him if Barrera's head movement wasn't so good.

Round 12: Barrera comes out landing hard shots, but Morales charges right back. Barrera slips, and Morales is all over him with punches. Barrera lands back, firing back. Really tight exchanges, difficult to separate the two, but Barrera is winning the round for me through 90 seconds, backing Morales up, making him miss, and landing more shots with more force. Morales is starting to get outpunched in these exchanges. Yeah, Barrera bullying him about and outfighting him. Barrera is clearly exhausted, but he's running Morales around the ring and landing hard left hands. Morales bears down hard on Barrera's back in a clinch, and Barrera's glove touches. This seems to embolden Morales for whatever reason, because here he comes. Morales punches Barrera back into the ropes and nails him with a great combination. Really great sequence for Morales. Barrera holds, and pushes Morales back. In the last 10 seconds, Barrera opens up and lands several big power shots. Barrera's round, CLEARLY. He was absolutely the general, he landed more shots, landed better shots, landed showing shots...Barrera won 12 in every scoring category.

116-112 Barrera. I've now scored this fight the same way, round to round, nine times, with three different commentary teams. I can see giving Morales the ninth(closest round of the fight in my book), and I'm less comfortable, but not hostile, giving him the 4th(Really clear Barrera round, imo, but Morales boxed well in spots). Beyond that, this fight was rather easy to score, and Barrera's late charge in the 11th gives him the same argument in 11 that Morales has in the 4th. 9 of these rounds were painfully obvious, and 6 of them belonged to Barrera.

 

Honestly? Morales performance in that fight WASN'T great. Lots of heart, and he really tried to pull it out over the second half, throwing a ton of punches, but it's obvious to me he took Barrera lightly when he shouldn't have. He wasn't sharp, and in the first half of the fight, looked like an idiot, missing big swings and getting absolutely blasted in return.

I think it's one of the worst performances of his career, honestly. Morales is usually a sharp puncher, a varied jabber, a smart mover, and it was all just absent for too many rounds that night. I'll disrespect that effort all I want: I think he might have found a way to win had he come in at the bell with his head on straight.

 

Yeah just rewatched last two rounds and had Morales winning the 11th, trying hard not to be swayed by Barrera coming on strong late in the round, a recurring theme in the trilogy which in my opinion made some already tough to score fights a little harder. So add that to me other score and I'd have had it 115-113. Still Barrera all the way.

I had the 2nd fight to Morales close but clear by the way. Can't really see MAB taking that one all the times I've watched it over the years.

 

In fact Morales effort in the first half of the rubber match echoed Barrera's placid approach in the first half of the rematch.

 

But you have to! If you're trying to figure out a way to score the fight a particular way.

 

I rate Marquez higher than MAB/Morales/Pacquaio, just slightly. He's a smarter fighter than all of them. As for Morales chin/workrate/grit winning out, Marquez can match him in all those aspects except maybe perhaps chin but he makes up for that with a better defence and ring smarts.

****ing hell mate I do admire your passion as a fan and I did have it 7-5 for MAB myself at the time but a pretty clear 7-5 at that

I agree with Magna that allot of the rounds were very clear

 

I had Barrera over Morales, then I sat down and thought about it in the Top 100 p4p thread, and that's where I thought Morales was greater...

I don't know what page it was, it had everything in perspective.

 

What about their third fight though Anj? How'd ya' score it?

 

I FOUND THE *******:
What does Barrera have that Morales doesn't?
1. He won the rivalry against an ATG (Morales himself) Morales x 2
2. Very, VERY close fight with Marquez, past Barrera's prime.
3. Prince Naseem Hamed - A complete masterclass.
4. Kennedy McKinney
5. Paulie Ayala
vs
Morales
1. Pacquiao 1 (Already past Morales' prime)..ahead half way in second fight before Morales lost his legs completely
2. Barrera 2 (Lost the rivalry)
3. Junior Jones - just a year removed from Barrera's losses to him.
4. Paulie Ayala
5. In-Jin Chi, Guty Espadas Jr, Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez
6. Competitive against the new generation of top 140lber's when the shell of who he was.

Summarised:
MORALES - BARRERA
Pacquiao 1 > Morales 1
Barrera 2 > Hamed
Jones < Morales 3
Ayala = Ayala
Morales' competition > Barrera's competition
Morales' longevity > Barrera's longevity
Wayne McCullough win < Barrera's close loss to Marquez, past Barrera's prime.

Dafuq?
Am I starting to see Morales as greater? Nevertheless, it's still ridiculously close and you can't really separate these guys from eachother as there's really no real difference.

 

I watched it a year ago I think I scored it 115-113 Barrera and could not see how Morales could be given the nod by others unfortunately. It was one of those laughably competitive YET still clear wins.
I would have to watch it again I think.

 

You've noted Guty Jr as a notable win but not Cook, Juarez or Salazar for Barrera. No Zaragoza for 'El Terrible' either.

 

tbh I don't know why I mentioned 4 names in point 5 when I named just 1 for point 5 in Barrera's part.

Barrera has been the victim of my act of injustice.

 

:good

As for the score I agree with you. Clearly a Barrera win.

Do you still think Morales is greater or did you take those bouts into consideration even though you omitted to list them?

I can see both sides of the coin entirely.

 

1. Barrera
2. Morales
3. Barrera
4. Morales
5. Barrera
6. Barrera
7. Morales
8. Morales
9. Barrera
10. Barrera
11. Morales
12. Morales

Round 1, not much happened but Morales was too overconfident & allowed Barrera to land more punches to take the round.

Round 2 was shaping up to be a very strong round for Morales then he gets his nose broke by the best punch of the fight, an uppercut by Barrera, it was still a Morales round regardless but terrible punch to get caught by.

Rounds 3 & 4 were the hardest to score IMO. Back & forth, MAB edged 3 & EM edged 4, both could have been even rounds.

Barrera`s two best rounds were 5 & 6... round 6 was the clearest round of the fight & it was Barrera`s, still only a 10-9 though.

Morales two best rounds were 7 & 8, he controlled the pace nicely from distance, his biggest mistake was taking his foot off the gas in the next two rounds allowing Barrera to take the fairly easy paced rounds without having to exert himself too much.

Rounds 9 & 10 were `save myself for a big finish & try do enough to steal` type rounds, Barrera took those on my card.

11 & 12 were close rounds, very action packed rounds (especially the 11th) that were edged by Morales, he dug them out, too little too late obviously.

My card read 6-6, if anyone deserved the fight it was Barrera though, I think Morales underestimated how much MAB had left, personally.

Ps. I thought round 11 was the second best round of the entire trilogy, second only to round 5 of the first fight.


Great fight, better than fight 2, not as good as fight 1 though.

:good