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The Fight of the Year in 2002 That Wasn't Ward-Gatti
By Steve Kim (March 20, 2003)
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Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward got most of the well-earned accolades for their scintillating slugfest last May that earned 'Fight of the Year' honors. Three months later, in near anonymity, straweights Miguel Barrera and Roberto Leyva put on a fight that was almost as good.
Unlike their jr. welterweight colleagues, Barrera and Leyva didn't fight underneath the spotlight of HBO or earn high six-figure paydays. Instead, on this hot August night in Las Vegas at The Orleans Hotel & Casino, they were the featured attraction on Telefutura's 'Solo Boxeo' series and together earned less than ten grand. These two diminutive warriors earned every penny and they go at it again this Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay on Top Rank's 'Latin Fury' Showtime Pay-Per-View series.
"There's no question that it was the best fight I covered live (in 2002) and it was the best fight I've seen in person in a long, long time," said Kevin Iole, an award winning writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and a regular contributor to MaxBoxing.com. "That fight was very close to the Ward-Gatti fight and I had to think long and hard before I turned in my ballot (to the Boxing Writers Association) for 'Fight of the Year'. I went with Ward-Gatti, only because that fight was a little bit closer, it was a more competitive fight and in this fight Barrera really was the better fighter and he dominated the fight. But it was still tremendous back and forth action."
This fight was actually a rematch of an aborted fight that ended in a third-round technical draw in September of 2001. Leyva, a tall and lanky southpaw out of Ensendas, Mexico, was defending his IBF straweight title that he had won from Danny Reyes in May of 2001. Coming into this title defense his record stood at 21-0-1. Barrera, a Columbian, came into the
bout with a mark of 21-0-2 and ranked second in the IBF.
From the very beginning it was very apparent that despite his five inch height advantage, Leyva would have a difficult time keeping the hard charging Barrera off him.
In the first two rounds, Leyva would attempt to use his size and reach but Barrera would steadily come forward and bang away with lead right hands and left hooks. Barrera, no relation to Marco Antonio, fought like the way his namesake used to all night long. It was clear that while Leyva tried to box, Barrera was there to fight. At the end of round two, the first heated exchange would occur with both men trading and landing hard punches.
In the next two rounds, Leyva would find success in the center of the ring and would get off sharp combinations on Barrera, who would keep coming and landing his own leather. But in rounds three and four it was Leyva who landed the sharper and more accurate punches. At that point, both fighters would start to show the effects of this fight as they would start to get marked up a bit.
Barrera would re-establish control in round five as he engaged in a tightly fought battle on the inside that could've been inside a phone booth. Throughout the round both fighters would put their heads together like rams and throw an array of hooks and uppercuts to the body and head. And in round six, while Leyva did do a better job of staying off the ropes, he still fought Barrera at the wrong distance and he would be out-worked and out-punched from the inside.
Rounds seven through nine were closely contested. At times Leyva created some space to land hard left hands and even hold his own on the inside and then there were periods where Barrera's persistence and doggedness carried the action. Through it all, both landed fierce punches, time and time again. At this point the crowd had clearly gotten into the fight as they realized they were watching a pretty memorable prizefight.
Coming into the fabled 'championship rounds' the fight and the IBF belt were up for grabs, but as Leyva's right eye continued to swell and close up, it was clear that he was taking more than he was giving. It didn't help matters when Leyva would get the short end of the stick on several head clashes with Barrera, who amazingingly enough, didn't look too much different than what he looked like before the opening bell. It was at this time that Barrera would take over this bout, moving in with impunity like a Sherman tank, imposing his will on the gallant Leyva.
"Miguel Diaz, who was working the corner for Leyva that night, told me that they were thinking of stopping the fight as it was going down the stretch because Leyva was taking such punishment," recalled Iole, who was ringside.
Barrera would stay right on top of a retreating Leyva with hard rights and hooks to the body. At this point, while Leyva was still battling hard, he was in retreat, trying to no avail to keep Barrera off him.
In the last 20 seconds of round 11, with Leyva on the ropes, both men would take turns going back and forth, hurting each other. As the bell rung to end the round, the crowd rose to it's feet in appreciation.
To cap off what was a brutal fight, in the 12th and final round, Leyva would have his teeth knocked out. It's unclear whether that was caused by a punch or a headbutt, but how many times do you see that nowadays?
But with his mouth bloodied and now, incomplete, Leyva fought on bravely. Barrera would put an exclamation point to the night by staggering Leyva with a short left hook near the final bell. Coming into the bout it was Leyva that had the reputation as being the stronger finisher, but on this night it was Barrera who dominated the late rounds.
When the scorecards were read, Barrera would be named the new IBF straweight titlist by unanimous decision. Judges Fred Jones and Robert Hoyle each scored the bout 115-113 and Dave Moretti saw it 116-112.
MaxBoxing would score the bout the same as Moretti. The action was riveting and intense. And for those who actually saw it, unforgettable.
"I think it was one of the greatest fights I've ever seen in my life, let alone just last year," said Todd duBoef, vice president of Top Rank Boxing, which
promoted Barrera-Leyva II and is promoting their third go around. "I put it there with Morales-Barrera I. I mean, these guys were toe-to-toe for 12 rounds.
"It's really, really good to see guys bear down, show a real passion and dedication to the sport and a willingness to win. Not take necessarily the easy way out and not run, but really go out there skill-to-skill, power-to-power and that's what makes people come back to the sport."
Marc Ratner, the respected executive director the Nevada State Athletic Commission, was also impressed.
"Blow-by-blow, just action from the time the bell rang in the first, all the way through," said Ratner, who was ringside that night. "What I remember most about that fight is how, because they're small men, how they could take it and just come back punching. It was a marvelous fight."
THIRD TIME A CHARM?
Who knows, but it should be another pitched battle. These two guys' styles mesh very well together. The only thing that could stop this fight from being a good one are headbutts.
If Leyva can't do a better job of keeping Barrera off him with his jab, then it's going to be another long night at the office.
I'm taking Barrera by late KO.
MARCH MADNESS
I'm in the big leagues now, I guess. For the first time, I was asked to participate in the NCAA basketball pool that has many of the biggest and most notable luminaries in the game of boxing filling out brackets. Oh, yes, the stakes are higher than Bobby and Whitney.
My final four picks are: Kentucky, Duke, UConn, and Wake Forest. With Kentucky to down UConn in the championship game.
Come on Tubby Smith, K9 needs a new pair of Buster Browns.
For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com
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