The ENEMIES

Friday, Nov. 26, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

In most championship prizefights, especially between boxers who are meeting for a second or third go-round, the combatants have at least a grudging respect for each other.

Either that, or they express their supposed disdain in an over-the-top, almost comical manner that's obviously calculated to sell tickets.

Not this time. The animosity between Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera is real, the lack of respect palpable, cool on the surface but hot as a pistol inside.

"They hate each other," promoter Bob Arum said. "In all my years in boxing, I have never, ever seen such a legitimate, mutual hatred than the one that exists between these two fighters."

Morales and Barrera will renew their fierce rivalry when they clash for the third time in five years Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the world super featherweight championship. The scheduled 12-rounder, along with an attractive undercard, will air on HBO pay per view.

Their first two battles were so memorable that the series of fights has drawn comparisons to trilogies such as Holyfield-Bowe, Gatti-Ward and even Ali-Frazier. No one wanted to emphasize the word "trilogy" this week, though, to leave open the possibility of a fourth match.

"With Ali and Frazier, Ali was able to say some things to get Frazier's goat," Arum said. "But Ali was just playing a game with Frazier. That's different. With Barrera and Morales, there is a great deal of genuine animosity."

The fighters were on their best behavior during a news conference Wednesday at the MGM Grand -- a truce that stood in contrast to the fireworks before their second bout in 2002. Morales and Barrera traded sharp words and nearly came to blows in public appearances to promote that fight.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, made sure there would not be a repeat performance this week. He cut short an impromptu photo opportunity that had the fighters standing next to each other, and he did not allow Morales and Barrera to strike the traditional "staredown" pose for the cameras.

"There's nothing worse than losing the fight before the weigh-in," Ratner said.

The fighters' mutual dislike has been a boon for boxing fans, as it has translated into two gritty, action-filled bouts.

In their first meeting on Feb. 19, 2000, at Mandalay Bay, Morales came away with a split decision in a bout at 122 pounds that was a consensus fight of the year. Round 5, in which Barrera looked to be fading but came roaring back to nearly knock out Morales, was named round of the year by The Ring magazine.

In the rematch on June 22, 2002, at the MGM, Barrera won a close unanimous decision in a fight at 126 pounds that also drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

Morales (47-1, 34 knockouts), of Tijuana, Mexico, is 6-0 since the rematch, having won three featherweight and two super featherweight title fights. Although Morales often becomes friendly with his opponents after they fight, he said that's not likely to happen with Barrera.

"I don't think I'll ever be friends with him, so I don't even worry about that," said Morales, whose WBC belt is at stake.

After Barrera (58-4, 41 KOs), of Mexico City, was stopped by Manny Pacquiao in the 11th round last November, fans of Morales will be looking for another knockout Saturday.

"I know people will criticize me if I don't knock him out," Morales said. "There's nothing I can do about that. I'll try to knock him out. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

"If the knockout comes, I'll be very happy. If I win by decision, I'll be very happy. If the opportunity comes to knock him out, I'll be much happier."

Barrera said he has no concerns about stepping up to the 130-pound weight class, even though Morales is more likely to benefit from the move. The champ holds the edge in height (5-foot-8 to 5-7) and reach (72 inches to 70 inches).

"This is not my weight, but I accepted the fight for all the people who want to see it," Barrera said. "No excuses, before or after the fight. I am here to win it."

Dismissing the loss to Pacquiao as a "bad night, just one of those nights," Barrera, 30, said the knockout has played a big role in his motivation for the third fight with Morales.

"If I remember correctly, the first fight Morales was going to knock me out before three rounds," Barrera said. "It didn't happen. Come the second fight, he said he would take off his hat if I went past five rounds. I won.

"Now the third fight he's claiming the same thing again, that he's going to knock me out. That's what making me strong and keeping me preparing hard."

Morales opened a small favorite in Saturday's fight but has been bet heavily and is now minus 210 at the MGM Grand sports book. Morales was favored by nearly 4-1 in the first fight, and Barrera was a favorite of approximately minus 160 in the second bout.

Oscar De La Hoya, Barrera's promoter, said this fight could be a reprise of Barrera's victory against Naseem Hamed in 2001 in a bout he was expected to lose.

"I recall when he fought Naseem Hamed, how important he was to his career, how (Barrera) was the underdog and he had everyone against him that night," De La Hoya said. "He wanted to prove to all the fans all around the world that he could beat this guy.

"His style is one of the best I've seen in the boxing game. He's very determined and ready to fight."

Morales' analysis included a not-so-subtle putdown, as the champ suggested he has plenty of big fights to look forward to in his career, whereas Barrera needs to fight Morales to remain in the spotlight.

"I know he's obsessed with fighting me; that's all he talks about," said Morales, 28. "I'm fighting him again because people want to see a third fight. The opportunity presented itself, and it's the right moment. But as far as I'm concerned, I won the first two fights. I've already shown I'm better than him."

The second fight in 2002 generated more than 300,000 pay-per-view purchases, and that number is expected to increase this time around, said Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president of sports operations and pay per view.

Arum said more than 12,000 tickets are expected to be "actually sold" -- as opposed to comped -- by Saturday and that up to 70 percent of the crowd is expected to be of Hispanic descent.

On the undercard, Rafael Marquez and Mauricio Pastrana fight for the IBF world bantamweight title; Oscar Larios and Nedal Hussein fight for the WBC world super bantamweight title; and 105-pounders Ivan Calderon and Carlos Fajardo battle for the WBO mini-flyweight title.

Also, unbeaten Kelly Pavlik meets Ross Thompson in an 8-round middleweight bout; undefeated lightweight Kid Diamond of Las Vegas fights Lamar Murphy in a scheduled 8-rounder; and Gyorgy Hidvegi and Salah Zabian meet in a 6-round cruiserweight fight. First bell is 4:05 p.m., with the pay-per-view telecast to begin at 6.