TAKE FIVE: MANNY PACQUIAO VS. MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA, ‘WILL TO WIN’

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007 | 1:41 a.m.

Principals: Manny Pacquiao (44-3-2, 34 KOs) vs. Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5, 42 KOs), 12 scheduled rounds

At stake: Pacquiao's WBC international super featherweight title

Time/site: Today at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Doors open, 3:30 p.m.; first bout, 3:45 p.m.; pay-per-view begins, 6 p.m.; main event, 8 p.m.

Tickets: $100 to $600; 632-7580, 474-4000, mandalaybay.com TV: HBO Pay-Per-View , $49.95

Promoters: Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank

Referee: Tony Weeks

Judges: Tom Schreck, Jerry Roth, Glenn Trowbridge

Featured undercard bouts: Steven Luevano (33-1, 15 KOs) vs. Antonio Davis (24-3, 12 KOs), WBO world featherweight title, 12 rounds; Librado Andrade (25-1, 19 KOs) vs. Yusaf Mack (23-1-2, 14 KOs), USBA super middleweight title, 12 rounds; Francisco Bojado (18-2, 12 KOs) vs. Steve Forbes (32-5, 9 KOs), junior welterweights, 10 rounds

Betting line: Pacquiao minus-330; over/under 10 1/2 rounds

1. The last time?

Barrera, a future Hall of Famer who has won world championships in three divisions (junior featherweight, featherweight, super featherweight), has vowed to step down from professional boxing after Saturday's fight, though he left open the possibility of an exhibition farewell tour for his Mexican fans. "I'm leaving the sport," said Barrera, 33, a Mexico City native who turned pro when he was 15. "I've accomplished more than I ever thought I would. It's time." Promoter Bob Arum, who has worked with many Mexican boxers but is aligned with Pacquiao, wasn't so sure: "They all say it's their last fight, until there's another fight."

2. Second go-round

In their first fight in 2003 in San Antonio, Pacquiao entered the ring a 4-1 betting underdog. He turned in a spectacular performance and won by an 11th-round technical knockout of Barrera, then thought to be the world's best featherweight. "The difference is , I was an underdog then and I'm the favorite now," said Pacquiao, 28 . "But the styles are still the same. Barrera is a good boxer and he still has power. He wants to show the people he can still be champion."

3. Dirty work

In perhaps the most memorable moment of his most recent fight - a loss to Juan Manuel Marquez at Mandalay Bay in March - Barrera wound up and delivered a right hand to Marquez's head as Marquez was kneeling on the canvas. Pacquiao's trainer , Freddie Roach , hasn't forgotten the blow, for which Barrera was penalized a point. "He's gonna get dirty with us," Roach said. "He'll try to frustrate Manny by getting physical with him, but we're ready for that. I think (Barrera) will try counterpunching, and when that doesn't work he's going to have to fight Manny. And that's going to be the end."

4. Happy camper

Pacquiao, a left-hander with power in both hands and a dangerous right hook, has grown bigger and more muscular in the four years since he last met Barrera. Pacquiao had just stepped up to featherweight from the 122-pound division for their first bout. "I feel stronger, and I have more experience than in 2003," Pacquiao said. Roach praised Pacquiao for his discipline and energy during training camp in Cebu City, the Philippines. Pacquiao worked with a series of sparring partners and went running in the surrounding hills - including one grueling trail 45 minutes straight up a mountain, Roach said.

5. The pick

Chaos and Pacquiao have always seemed to walk hand in hand. In the leadup to this fight, Pacquiao confounded Roach by opting to train in his homeland, with little notice, rather than Roach's gym in Los Angeles. Yet when it's time to finish the job in the ring, Pacquiao has effortlessly put aside potential distractions, which range from shooting pool and playing basketball to dabbling in cockfighting and politics. (Sincere apologies to cockfighting for linking it with politics.) Pacquiao, soft-spoken and unassuming, refuses to predict the fight's outcome. But Arum's projection of a Pacquiao victory by late-round stoppage will probably prove accurate.