Columnist Jeff Haney: De La Hoya: Barrera one of Mexico’s greatest

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005 | 9:44 a.m.

Jeff Haney covers boxing for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com.

The unofficial title of the greatest Mexican-born fighter in boxing history is usually awarded to Julio Cesar Chavez, who has transcended the sport and achieved the status of a national folk hero.

A leading contender for the crown is Salvador Sanchez, the featherweight champion who compiled a record of 44-1-1 with 32 knockouts before dying in a car accident at age 23 in 1982, leaving fans to wonder what might have been.

Oscar De La Hoya, a sure-fire Hall of Famer himself, says a third Mexican national belongs in that rarified company: reigning super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, who fights Robbie Peden in a title unification bout Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

HBO Pay-Per-View will televise the card, presented on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

"He has done more than enough to solidify his legacy," De La Hoya said on a conference call Wednesday. "Speaking as a spectator and a fan, not as a promoter, I believe he belongs in the top three. He's right there with the best fighters coming from Mexico."

Barrera (60-4, 42 KOs), a Mexico City native, puts his WBC belt on the line against Peden (25-2, 14 KOs), the IBF champ who's originally from Brisbane, Australia, and now trains in St. Petersburg, Fla.

At age 31, Barrera will try to add a new chapter to a storied career in which he held world titles at super bantamweight and featherweight before moving up to 130 pounds and beating arch rival Erik Morales last November at the MGM.

Morales, a Tijuana native, also ranks among the all-time great Mexican warriors, though Barrera supporters will point out their man defeated Morales in two of their three meetings.

Since losing to Morales in 2000, Barrera has won 11 of 12 fights, with the lone loss coming to Manny Pacquiao in 2003.

"When he has a defeat, he always comes back and rises to the occasion," De La Hoya said. "He's a fighter who can be down but not out. That right there sets him apart from a lot of fighters."

Barrera is a clear betting favorite at odds of nearly 6-1 against Peden, but the two men do have an intriguing history. While sparring with Peden in preparation for his second fight against Morales in 2002, Barrera reportedly sustained a broken rib, which caused the date of that fight to be pushed back several months.

"The sparring (with Peden) was very intense," Barrera allowed Wednesday, while going out of his way to emphasize that sparring sessions are "way different" from actual prizefights.

Barrera has been training in Guadalajara, Mexico, since July 10 under chief trainer Rudy Perez and an extensive team of assistants including his brother Jorge Barrera Tapia, whose official job description reads succinctly, "Pushes Barrera to work hard."

"I am training extremely hard for this fight as it would mean everything to unify the championship for all of Mexico on Mexican Independence Day," Barrera said. "I feel like a young prospect again with so much motivation to win this fight. ...

"I know in the past only fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya have fought on this date, so it is an honor for me follow in their steps. I think it is a testament to all I have accomplished in my boxing career."

Peden, 31, who represented Australia in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, won the vacant IBF super featherweight title by stopping Nate Campbell in eight rounds in February. He arrived for his training camp July 12.

"This camp I've been much more focused and intense since winning the title," said Peden, who has Aborigine roots. "My trainer Roger Bloodworth says I'm stronger and hungrier than he's ever seen me.

"Hey, I've got respect for Barerra in and out of the ring, but leading into the fight he will be my worst enemy. It won't be a hate, but anyone that tries to take anything from me becomes my enemy.

"Barrera keeps on talking about his Mexican heart; come the 17th people will be talking about my Australian heart."

Morales, Pacquiao

Morales (48-2, 34 KOs) and Pacquiao (39-3-2, 31 KOs) are both 10-1 betting favorites in their fights against separate opponents Saturday in Los Angeles (HBO), and could be on course for a rematch of their superb fight in March at the MGM.

But in order to advance to a rematch of the bout, won by Morales, "El Terrible" must first get by Zahir Raheem (26-1, 16 KOs) -- a potentially dangerous opponent, according to promoter Todd duBoef of Top Rank.

"You have to challenge Erik; he has a tendency to fight to the level of his opponent," duBoef said. "Zahir is an accurate fighter ... he has very quick hands and quick feet, but Erik has never dodged anybody.

"(Raheem has) good instincts and ring savvy. Erik's gonna have to work for it. ... Erik's gonna have to prove to everybody, including Zahir, that he can handle the speed and the quickness."

In the co-main event, Pacquiao faces Hector Velazquez (42-10-2, 31 KOs).