On February 19, 2000, Marco Antonio Barrera met Erik Morales in the first of their trilogy at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada. Barrera was looking to defend his WBO super bantamweight title and win the WBC super bantamweight title from his opponent. In true Big Fight Weekend style, we love our nostalgia, and we are taking you back to revisit this classic contest.
Erik Morales Defeats Marco Antonio Barrera
Morales Edges Close Split Decision
The battle between two of the most popular Mexican boxers of all time took place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on February 19, 2000. Morales was arguably the slight favourite due to his KO victory against Junior Jones, who had previously defeated Barerra on two occasions.
Both boxers were highly skilled and incredibly tough, which made this fight a tantalising prospect. No matter what the expectations were, the fight exceeded all of those.
Barrera started the brighter, throwing his trademark left hooks. Morales wasn’t fazed and stood his ground, throwing smart combinations. “Baby-Faced Assassin” was the initial aggressor, but “El Terrible” was countering with success. Barrera found success by working off his jab and finishing with the left-hand uppercut. His intensity was winning him the first couple of rounds.
Despite “Baby-Faced Assassin” being first to the punch, Morales refused to be slowed down and fires back. This fight was fast turning into a barnstormer, with both throwing bombs to the body and head.
Round five saw Barrera hurt Morales with a pinpoint right hand, which instigated a tremendous back and forth between the two, which made this one of the best rounds in boxing history. The middle rounds saw Morales take charge and hurt Barerra with hooks and uppercuts, which showcased his ability to punch from angles. The following rounds were full of tremendous back-and-forth moments when all watching felt one fighter was gaining the upper hand – the other would come fighting back. Tremendous action!
Morales tried to outwork his opponent as their fight entered the championship rounds, but Barrera showed his bravery in round 10 when he almost dropped “El Terrible.” As the fight progressed, it was clear Morales was coming more into it, but Barrera remained game and wouldn’t shy away.
Conclusion of the Fight
The final round started with a touch of gloves between the two before they began to exchange vicious body shots, with both still seemingly wanting the stoppage. Morales somehow survives a Barrera attack with less than one minute remaining but is the victim of a terrible referring call, who rules a knockdown for a slip by Morales. “El Terrible” is in disbelief as the count ensues. Following this controversy, Morales flies at Barerra, throwing everything before the final bell sounds, and brings to a close an absolute barnstorming classic war between these two legends.
The scorecards were then read, and it was a split decision. Two 114-113 scorecards, one for each fighter. The third one is 115-112 for Morales, awarding “El Terrible” the win. It was a brilliant action-packed fight from start to finish, which saw them both fight twice more, with Barerra taking the trilogy 2-1.
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