Barrera - His Highest Possible Ranking?

He be higher but not by heaps..Id probably have him top100 or just outside..Wouldnt be any higher than 80-85 at this stage IMO.

With a win over JMM he would probably sit in that 80-90 range in my list. I could understand a bit higher.

Just my opinion of him but I think the losses he had throughout his career prevented a good run of dominance and I also dont rate him as highly H2H as a lot of people do. Though dont get me wrong, he still rates very well.

 

I don't have a definitive top 100 p4p list, I don't think they hold much weight but I would place Barrera around 60-70. It's not just his top wins and ability as a fighter that places him so high, but longevity. He looked down and out on so many occasions, but kept coming back and performing better than everybody expected him too. Even in losing efforts. A truly great fighter, who has had a career that spanned two decades. Demands universal respect.

A win over Marquez would have lifted him in top 50 places considering what Juan has gone on to achieve lately.

 

If you think he beat Morales all 3 times and beat Marquez you could have him quite high. (I had his series even with Morales and had him losing a close one against JMM).

As of right now he is just outside my top 100.

 

You wouldn't believe it but I had all 3 fights even!

Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera I: 115-115 Draw
I gave Morales rounds 3,5,7,9 and 10. I gave Barrera rounds 2,4,8,11 and 12. I had rounds 1 and 6 even.



Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera III: 115-115 Draw
I gave Morales rounds 2,4,7,8 and 12. I gave Barrera rounds 1,3,6,9 and 10. I had rounds 5 and 11 even.


Can't find my scorecard for their second fight, but I had that scored even as well. One day I'll score the fights again, I'm not happy with such dire fence sitting.

 

he is not even top 15 in the last 25 years

 

Found it:

Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera II: 115-115 Draw
I gave Morales rounds 4,5,7,8 and 10. I gave Barrera rounds 1,2,6,9 and 12. I had rounds 3 and 11 even.

 

^^^too many even rounds

36 rounds with 3 judges...108 possible scores yet only there is only one even round..the controversial judge scoring even, the round (10 or 11) morales cleary won

avoid scoring even rounds..that is not the usual practice in championship bouts

 

Some judges like giving even rounds, some don't. Me personally, if I see an even round, I'm calling it an even round. If every round in the fight is even I will score it 120-120. Just the way I operate. I don't arbitrarily give rounds or split hairs. Maybe there are too many even rounds in my MAB-EM scorecards and maybe I wold change scores on different viewings, but it's how i saw it when I watched it.

 

I rate MAB no1 at 122 and around mid-30s all time, which is very high, but deservedly so

Great wins and reign at 122 - which I'd incluce Mckinney and Morales (robbed), Perhaps the best ever win at 126 against Hamed, which was massive, very good reign at 126, great final win over Morales in an unnatural weight class past his prime, 1 of the best fights and trilogy of all time, has a good case to beating JMM way past his prime and held his own in the Pac rematch been cuter than Pac early on. Has been fighting champship fights against the elite from '94-'97 and gone from 115-130

MAB got some unlucky decisions/robberies go against him. MAB should have 3 decisions over Morales, he completely dominated him in the first, complete robbery, it wasn't close, 2nd and 3rd were close but MAB won both. He should have the decision over JMM for my money, but that was close. I watched the Junior Jones 2 fight once and thought it could have gone either way. On top of that MAB hasn't benefited from close fight decisions himself.

 

i too have no problem with giving even rounds..but in reality you rarely see an even round..of the three fights between MAB and EM, only once have we seen an even round (controversial at that)..judges refrain from giving even rounds, that is just the way boxing operates nowadays...you rarely see judges giving even rounds...i can only think of holyfield-valuev...can you think of other fights with even rounds...

that is why even rounds are most likely given by judges to the favored fighter or to the hometown guy

 

Some of the Morales fights could have gone against MAB and he could have lost the first Rocky Juarez fight too. He has not been hard done by in his career. Broken off about even I'd say as far as fair decisions go.

 

You have to be nuts to give any of those fights to Morales, the first 1 was a flat out robbery, Morales got battered to the ropes time and again, MABs punches had far more effect, landed far cleaner and walked through Morales shots. Morales was even floored, and that was a legit kd

The second fight was closist but you can't give MAB less than 6, 3rd fight was a very clear 7-5 or 8-4, no one saw the 3rd fight as controversal

MAB won more rounds than Juarez from cleaner more accurate punching but it was close.

The judges for MAB-JMM were clearly bought off, Golden Boy wanted JMM-Pac 2 as they thought JMM had Pacs number and bought and paid for the cards. It was a close close fight that I had to MAB, the cards were ultra wide, pure corruption, right there.