What made Barrera an elite fighter?

that is why imo this 0 mentality as to go
losses can break some fighters that are mentally weak
the mentally strong it will improve

 

The hand injuries no doubt would off effected his ability to perform. Though his inability to adapt to that like Mayweather and Calzaghe did highlights a weakness for me. He couldn't find a way to work around it and instead double downed on his power instead of finding other ways to win.

As for the weight issues I always found that one odd and was probably more down to his lack of discipline than him actually being too big for featherweight. He was a short featherweight listed at 5'3" at the time and he only moved up to fight Robinson because Warren couldn't secure a title fight at super bantam. That along with how his weight ballooned upwards afterwards for me shows he simply didn't train hard enough and liked to eat too much, when you compare him vs Barrera at the weigh in Hamed looked a division smaller but he was somehow struggling with weight? Nah don't buy it.

 

Oh I completely agree it was a lack of discipline, having to cut weight when you're naturally small for the division says a lot.

Hamed is just an unusual case all around - he was such an unconventional fighter that it's hard to see how he could've reinvented himself without losing something, and his personality was clearly a double edged sword.

It's funny really that that fight, despite the state Hamed was in by that point, still comes up as a key point when discussing Barrera - ordinarily the fact a fighter is shot makes that fight less relevant on a resume, but Hamed was such a huge draw that he's still relevant even when shot.


Barrera was a great fullstop, and I don't disagree that prime-vs-prime he may well have won anyway... One of those we'll just never know, though!

 

I dont think he re-invented himself at all. He always had boxing skill, his mistakes at times was brawling against fighters who only chance at victory was to brawl.

Take his fight with Junior Jones, he trield brawling with him the first time he fought him and he got stopped.
He tried boxing with Jones in the rematch and got outboxed.

In all three Morales fights MAB could not outbox Morales. Morales always outboxed MAB at center ring keeping distance.
What made all those three fights close was Morales' choosing to exchange with MAB, its in these up close exchanges where MAB had sucess vs Morales. MAB never outboxed Morales.

Now take the Rocky Juarez fights for MAB, Juarez beat MAB the first time they fought. Juarez was simply getting the better of MAB in the up close exchanges. MAB was very lucky to have the HBO hype machine on his side as he was gifted that decision vs Rocky Juarez.
In the rematch, MAB knew better and stayed away and circled and jabbed his way to a decision against cement legged Rocky Juarez.
There was nothing special imo about being able to circle around a fighter like Juarez who for a featherweight has very little manueverability and walks a ring like he's walking on mud.

So yes, MAB employed more boxing in the latter half of his career but who did he really outbox that qualifies as a special performance.
The only fighter of name that comes to mind is Naseem Hamed, but he was a flawed fighter of little real boxing skill to begin with.
Hamed was a physically gifted fighter, but his boxing skills were of intermediate level. I qualify the Hamed fight as a good win, but not a great win for Barrera in that I know Hamed as a boxer was extremely limited.
Any of the top featherweights of the era would have done just as much if not more against Hamed than what MAB was able to accomplish.

 

Heart. Dude could dig deep when he needed to.

 

Brave as hell....He sorted out Naseem when he tried his showboating tactics Barrera walked straight through him He was having none of it..... No nonsense Fighter who had it all....

 

...and brain, after his reinvention. (when he arguably was greatest)

 

yes, he is definitely a combat genius, but it takes courage to change from your comfort zone. just look at rigo, who doesnt have quite the same courage. jmm is also one who pushed out of his comfort zone to become more palatable to the paying public.
obviously courage isnt the only thing that put him where he is, but it is the catalyst for the steps he was willing to take, and the fighters he was willing to fight, to get to where he wanted to be.

 

Oh yeah, not diminishing his cojones - hence saying "and brain".

Both qualities in high enough proportion to make up for not being the most athletically gifted fighter. Better than average power in the lighter weights, but not shattering, and obviously his speed was merely passable.

But man oh man, was he as mentally tough as they come, and such a brilliant combination punching innovator.

 

If anyone is hankering for a real deep-dive on MAB, this is probably as comprehensive as has been on here, if I do say so myself.

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/the-marco-antonio-barrera-super-thread.514025/

 

Barrera was a shy man who had a tremendous inner desire to prove himself. It compelled him to become a professional boxer when he didn't need to, and it pushed him to evolve into a more complete fighter when he hit big bumps in the road.

 

Nothing. He is another dogfight merchant Mexican. He exposed Hamed the fraud with his left and he still gets credit because of that. Pacquiao mauled him easily.

 

This is ban worthy

 

Barrera also had that meanness in him.

 

Barrera was about two retirements deep at that point and Pac, an ATG and the second coming of Henry Armstrong, a once-a-generation bushwhacker macheteing his way through the weights, was in his prime. Bringing up one-sided losses isn't the flex you think it is, or shall we reflect on how prime Canelo (natural middle just coming into his man-strength) arguably didn't win a single clear round against a natural super feather, faded Mayweather?

MAB was less athletically gifted but in literally every other respect vastly superior to your hero. You've picked the wrong Mexican to rally behind.