Reliving Barrera-Morales II: Two Mexican Legends Rematch on June 22, 2002

On June 22, 2002, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales met for the second time after Morales had won their first encounter by split decision in 2000. Barrera-Morales II was a more technical fight than the other two in their memorable trilogy and Big Fight Weekend are taking you back to the second fight between the two Mexican legends.

Marco Antonio Barrera Defeats Erik Morales by Unanimous Decision

Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales Recap

Morales started well, dominating the early rounds, and outworking his compatriot in the first four rounds. It was a much slower pace than their first fight, with Barrera turning the tide in round six, finally stepping on the gas and putting eye-catching combinations together, which was in stark contrast to the early part of the fight.

Round seven again was one for Barrera, who continued to put his punches together impressively, as he did in the previous round. During round seven, there was a controversial moment that saw Barrera fall, but it was ruled a slip, that looked like it had come from a punch, but no knockdown was the verdict.

Read More: Marco Antonio Barrera’s Tactical Brilliance Seals Victory Over Prince Naseem Hamed

After a strong eighth round from Morales, Barrera again upped the pace and easily outworked his opponent in rounds nine and ten. “El Terrible” was the aggressor in round 11, with “Baby Faced Assassin” trying to box off the back foot. The final round was a back-and-forth round, with Barrera landing the cleaner work with Morales the aggressor. The judge’s scorecards read 115-113×2 and 116-112 all in favour of the Guadalajara native.

Listen to the Barrera-Morales nostalgia and the exclusive interview with Devin Haney as Dan Rafael and TJ Rives also preview the weekend’s boxing action on the Big Fight Weekend podcast.

What Happened Next?

Barrera won their third fight, winning by majority decision, with the scorecards reading 115-114, 115-113 in favour of the “Baby Faced Assassin,” with the final card reading 114-114. After their second fight, Barrera had impressive wins against Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley.

Read More: Redemption Quest: Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Junior Jones II Revisited

Morales after their second fight went on to record victories over Manny Pacquiao in 2005 and Pablo Cesar Cano later in his career.