Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera needed to be separated after their third and final fight.
The legendary Mexican duo first clashed for the WBO Super Bantamweight title in February 2000. Erik Morales picked up a controversial decision win within the fight that’s considered considered one of boxing’s best-ever.
Marco Antonio Barrera got his revenge two years later. In June 2002, he was dropped by a body shot that was ruled a slip before walking away with a unanimous decision victory that almost all people thought should’ve gone the opposite way.
So, the stakes couldn’t have been higher once they accomplished their epic trilogy in November 2004.
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Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera III
The WBC super featherweight belt was on the road during Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera III.
But their fight was about way more than that, because the bitter rivals battled for life-long bragging rights.
At the tip of one other pulsating 12-round brawl, which was later named Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Yr for 2004, Barrera was declared the winner by majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114, and 114–114.
Nonetheless, the third fight was still ongoing because the ring announcer revealed who had won the trilogy.
Morales and Barrera were exchanging words at first, but then it got heated and out of hand.
Security stepped in to stop any more punches from being exchanged before Barrera was declared the winner.
The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ celebrated his second win over Morales by pointing two fingers in his face while being hoisted into the air by a member of his team.
Boxing legends tried to maintain their award-winning trilogy going
Marco Antonio Barrera’s hardest opponent
10 years later, Marco Antonio Barrera was able to present Erik Morales the respect he deserved.
Manny Pacquiao scored a famous KO win over Barrera, but he insists another person gave him a tougher time.
“Morales is certainly the hardest opponent I even have faced,” Barrera said in 2014.
“Since it almost seemed every time I hit him, it wouldn’t hurt him.
“And he’s a man who would continuously give me pressure, and he hit really, really hard.”