Who has been the best featherweight this decade?

Marco Antonio Barrera.

 

Barrera, without a doubt. Beat the undefeated Hamed, the undefeated Morales, Tapia, Kelley, Ayala, lost only to Pac.

 

Barrera probably has the best case here in terms of bigger names and accomplishment.

Morales is only a hair behind because of the Hamed win. Marquez was the most skilled.

 

I dispute the last point. Marquez throws straighter punches, but I don't think there's a lot between Barrera and Marquez in terms of skills. If anything at all, really.

Barrera is the best Featherweight of this era. He has huge, huge wins against Hamed and Morales, undefeated P4P rated fighters at the time. Wins over Tapia, Ayala, and Kelley aren't that bad either. His only loss was to Pacquiao, albeit a crushing one, but that doesn't undo everything he achieved in a 2 year period at 126lbs.

 

And dont forget his two boxing clinics against Salud and Enrique Sanchez,the later is a thing of beauty.

 

Eric "El Terrible" Morales. At the top of his game no one could beat him. He got old with too many ringwars. He is a warrior!

 

I believe that Marquez was the most skillful of the 3, he had the better defensive skills, footwork, and punch combinations. Had the fight between Hamed and Marquez come off back then JMM would have done a cleaner job than Barrera.

But I do agree that Barrera did the most in his 7 fights at feather than his colleagues.

 

Two of his greatest performances against lower tier opposition, certainly. Although his destruction of experianced campaigner, Jesus Salud, did come at 122lbs - his fight of Sanchez is just an absolute masterpiece.

Good call. :good

 

Morales.

 

Marquez defensive abilities are so much superior that he's suffered a lot of knockdowns in his career? He was just more cautious, I don't think his defensive skills were any better than Barrera's if we're talking Featherweight Marco, who was clearly a different fighter than what he had been before.

I also don't see better footwork in Marquez either. Barrera always seems to be in position to throw shots back, much like Marquez, and the way he would circle as he triples the jab is quite impressive to see. Both have great footwork, but Barrera the better balance in my estimation.

Marquez is excellent in combination, and I do give him the nod here, but Barrera puts together some of the most impressive and smoothest combination's I've seen in a long time too. Both are excellent punchers in combination.

Speculation. Barrera beat Hamed - Not Marquez, who has suffered knockdowns from much lesser punches than Hamed. Let's get it right.

 

The three fights with Barrera certainly show different, BELL.

 

MAB did but was robbed by the judges.

 

And he got robbed in the second fight with MAB. The third fight shouldve been an exhibition.