Who would take this one? I think Oscar wins by decision in a close fight with Barrera winning rounds based on aggression
135 pound DLH was a master at destroying smaller opponents (Lejia, Ruelas, Paez, etc.) DLH would savagely destroy Barrera, and do it inside of 5 rounds most likely.
Oscar V MAB at 130 would be more interesting as oscar was drained at that weight. too much size and ability for MAB to overcome
Barrera was shot at the point he fought at 135. His peak was 122, 118. His skill level was beyond DLH's.
The fight-DLH- that Rivero was creating was on his way to becoming a truly great fighter. He understood that Oscar didn't take well to getting hit, that his punching power was actually hand speed and being sharp, and that the best way for him to fight was to be fast and smart. After they fired Rivero because DLH went 8-0 with 'only' 6 kos, Clancy, Steward, etc... ruined him. He wasn't too good after that. One of the biggest diappointments in my life was the 1st DLH/Mosley fight. Barrera was a pro. He was an excellant boxer early in his career- I saw his debut in the US when he was 18- witness his fight with Eddie Cook- and became an all out puncher for a while. Then he got smart again and was a top flight strategist. At 135 Oscar beats barrera, but Barrera was a far superior fighter.
DLH-Mosley was a disappointment? Oscar may have fought with the wrong strategy, but that fight was competed at a higher level than any fight Barrera has ever been in. Period. In any case, he clearly showed his better skills when he fought it on his terms in the rematch. If you want to talk about disappointments, talk about Barrera not being able to distinguish himself from a no defense guy with a lot of heart in Morales and being wiped off the map by Manny Pacquiao. I won't go into getting KTFO by Junior Jones, that would be too easy.
With all due respect, DLH and Mosley fought like two guys that were afraid, not like world class fighters. I think that jones fight was a turning point for Barrera; he'd been trying to be a balls out exciting fighter and it caught up to him, so he changed his style. As to Morales, Barrera outslugged him in the first fight and was robbed, then won the other two by boxing. After long familiarity with the two, my conclusion is that Morales fought above his head against Barrera. Rivalries will do that. During the first fight with Pacquiao, Barrera was forced to move and delay his training camp due to fires in the Big Bear (California) area. There is also a good argument to be made that Barrera was past his best at that time, and Pac was bursting onto the scene. He was suprising a lot of people with his speed and power. By the way, after getting caught while being reckless in the first Jones fight, I thought Barrera was robbed in the second fight.
You reckon? [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGWtCqwMrpM[/ame] That was one of the better fights of that year...Great mix of skill and action. If you prefer MAB to Hoya thats cool but "far superior"...nah.
