Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera has named the one fighter that he rated even higher than former rival Manny Pacquiao.
Known for being one of the toughest fighters of his era, Barrera held world titles in three weight classes during his accomplished 75-fight professional career.
Barrera rarely shied away from a challenge, sharing the ring with the likes of Prince Naseem Hamed – becoming the only man to defeat him – Juan Manuel Marquez and Pacquiao to name just a few.
He also shared the ring with Erik Morales on three occasions between 2000 and 2004, a memorable trilogy that sent shockwaves through the sport.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Barrera overlooked Pacquiao by naming Morales his best overall opponent, also picking him in the categories of best chin and best jab.
“Morales is definitely the toughest opponent I have faced. Because it almost seemed whenever I hit him it wouldn’t hurt him. And he’s a guy who would constantly give me pressure, and he hit really, really hard.”
Morales was victorious over Barrera in their first encounter back in February of 2000, defeating his countryman via split decision to unify the WBC and WBO world super-bantamweight titles.
Barrera got his revenge in their rematch two years later however when he outpointed ‘El Terrible’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to capture the WBC world featherweight title in one of the finest performances of his career.
In their third and final clash, Barrera put their iconic rivalry to bed with a majority decision win over Morales to become the WBC super-featherweight champion, a title he would hold until he was beaten by Juan Manuel Marquez a couple of years later.
