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By Scott Shaffer
21/05/2006
Verdict changed after HBO signs off the air
Marco Antonio Barrera W12 Rocky Juarez... The legendary Marco Antonio Barrera overcame an apparently broken nose and struggled through the challenger's late rally to retain the world junior lightweight championship against Rocky Juarez. After twelve thrilling rounds, a stalemate verdict of 115-113 Juarez, 115-113 Barrera and 114-114 was announced to the crowd and it was well-received. Overshadowing a great fight, two scorecards were re-tabulated after HBO went off the air, with judge Ken Morita's 114-114 scorecard changed by the California Athletic Commission to 115-114 in Barrera's favor, giving Barrera a win in a most unsatisfying, but not necessarily undeserved fashion. A score of 115-114 translates to six rounds for Barrera, five for Juarez, and one round, in Morita's case the twelfth and final round, scored 10-10, something judges are permitted to do, but are strongly discouraged from in actual practice. In further embarrassment to the California commission, the announced 115-113 tally in Juarez's favor was amended to 115-114 Juarez. The fight was close enough to have gone either way, and Punchstat numbers seemed to validate a draw, crediting Barrera with landing more punches overall, 168-135, but giving Juarez a 105-84 edge in power punches. Nominally Barrera was the winner, but in a sense both men came out of the Los Angeles ring in better stead than they entered it: sixteen years into Barrera's storied career, he took on the challenge of a talented Olympic medal winer and survived adversity to retain his championship; meanwhile, Juarez proved beyond any doubt he is now an A-level boxer. Juarez staggered the world champion with a left hand to the top of the head just before the end of the third round. In between rounds, blood began flowing from the nose of Barrera, but by the fourth round, he was back in control. The man who brawled so magnificiently in a trio of fights against Erik Morales demonstrated Hall of Fame caliber versatility, winning the fifth round with an almost uncharacteristic jab but then stepping back inside for toe-to-toe exchanges in the sixth. Still, Juarez was very much in the fight, not only landing meaningful punches of his own but also coaxing more blood from Juarez's nose in the seventh. The eighth round was even better for Juarez, who began to mount a late charge. Barrera lost his mouthpiece for the third time in the eighth, leading to speculation that he was having trouble breathing through his nose or had suffered a jaw injury (Barrera claimed afterwards the mouthpiece was simply ill-fitting). Before the tenth round, Barrera, his nose swollen and likely broken, seemed to show his age, and Juarez further battered the champion's proboscis with at least three hard shots that round. Both men realized the championship was up for grabs and laid it all on the line in the last two rounds.  If the Barrera decision holds up, Juarez is now 25-2 while the 32 year-old Barrera, now a pro boxer for half of his life, goes to 62-4. Needless to say, a rematch is in order as soon as Barrera is healed. sources: HBO Championship Boxing; Associated Press
