Barrera should retire

Boxing writer Johnny Whitehead wrote one of the greatest leads to a story I've ever read: "What hurts worse than jumping on a bicycle without a seat? The truth."

Although Whitehead, now a sports editor at USA Today, was writing about Mike Tyson for an article in The Ring magazine, I think that same sentiment can now be used when debating whether Marco Antonio Barrera should retire.

And the truth is, as I see it, a painful one: Barrera should retire now.

If you happened to watch his fight with Rocky Juarez on HBO on Saturday and you don't read boxing Web sites, then you may be surprised to find out that Barrera, now 62-4, with 42 knockouts, actually won the decision.

Announcer Michael Buffer originally announced the decision as a draw, but after HBO tuned out, the California Athletic Commission discovered an error. Judge Duane Ford had Juarez winning, 115-113; Anek Hongtongkam voted for Barrera, 115-113; and Ken Morita had it 114-114.

The judges' official scorecards now read as follows: Morita, 115-114, Barrera; Ford 115-114, Juarez; and Hongtongkam, 115-113, Barrera.

I had Barrera up 117-111, with a couple of rounds up for debate, but to me what is not up for argument is that it's time for Barrera to get out while he's still healthy. He should go after that law degree he's been talking about.

Some will say that Barrera is only 32 and that he has a lot of fights left in him. Some will point to George Foreman, who recaptured the heavyweight championship when he was 45.

That's like comparing an old Chevy truck with a finely tuned race Corvette. The old Chevy truck - the heavyweight - is big by nature and is capable of putting many miles on the motor before conking out.

Smaller fighters like Barrera - who turned pro as a flyweight when he was only 15 - are like the racecar in that they put out better performances but break down a lot quicker.

So is Barrera broken down?

Nigel Collins, editor-in-chief of The Ring, said he's conflicted. On the one hand, Collins said, he can see where a fighter who has enough money (as Barrera reportedly has) and has accomplished great things (as Barrera has) should retire.

Collins also cautioned against counting Barrera out too quickly, as he has re-invented himself before.

"Where do you draw the line?" Collins asked. "I felt Barrera was going back a little bit when he re-invented himself after (his fight with Manny) Pacquiao - who, let's face it, beat the crap out of him. But because we've seen Barrera re-invent himself before and after the Pacquiao fight, I'm hesitant to say he should retire. But if you put a gun to my head, I think he should retire."

Collin's admitted equivocation is illustrative of Barrera's career. He rose to prominence as "the Baby-faced Assassin" in the 90s and he broke through internationally with his brutal war with Kennedy McKinney in 1996, which was shown on HBO.

Then a straight-ahead, prototypically macho Mexican-style fighter, Barrera dropped McKinney twice in the eighth round, once in the ninth, got up himself from an 11th-round knockdown, and floored McKinney two more times in the 12th and final round, when the fight was stopped and a legend was born.

But as fast and brightly as Barerra's star shone, it quickly flickered with two consecutive losses to Junior "Poison" Jones in late 96 and early 97, when Jones stopped Barrera in five (ruled a disqualification when his cornerman entered the ring to save him) and took a unanimous decision in 12.

But any questions pundits or fans had on Barrera's demise were answered during his subsequent tremendous war (and controversial loss to) Erik Morales in 2000. And in April 2001, Barrera humbled the unbeaten and apparently invincible "Prince" Naseem Hamed, showing previously unseen boxing skills.

After a victory in a rematch with Morales, Barrera was taken apart by Pacquiao in late 03, after it was revealed that Barrera had previously undergone "minor" brain surgery to correct a tangled artery.

How's this for another re-invention: A knockout of Paulie Ayala followed by another win over Morales put Barrera back in the good graces of even the most cynical critic.

But even though most observers were impressed with an early knockout over no-hoper Mzonke Fana and an easy win over overrated Robbie Peden, the scrutinizing eye saw trouble ahead for Barrera when he signed to fight Juarez after Jesus Chavez pulled out of a match with Barrera.

Ricardo Jimenez, publicist for Top Rank Promotions, has had his eye on Barrera ever since he used to fight at the Great Western Forum, in Inglewood, Calif., and was under the wing of promoter Forum Boxing.

"The perception before the (Juarez fight) was that it was an easier fight," Jimenez said. "But it was tougher than a lot of people expected."

That includes Barrera himself, who had to dig down into his well of pride and experience to pull a victory out of defeat. On more than one occasion, Barrera, who appeared to suffer a broken nose early, was hurt and stunned and had to will himself to make it through until the end.

"Barrera thought Juarez was a tough fight, a tough guy, but he (Juarez) was hungrier than Barrera thought," said Jimenez, who still feels that Barrera has several big fights left in him, including rematches with Pacquiao, Morales and maybe Juarez, among others. He also feels that all Barrera needs is the proper motivation.

I'm not so sure.

Barrera will fight again, that much is certain. The bout will probably happen in November, but the opponent is unknown. Pacquiao will soon fight Oscar Larios and assuming he beats him, should fight Morales for a third time in November.

It makes sense - in a perfect world - that Barerra will face the winner of that fight after a somewhat softer touch. WBA lightweight titlist Juan Diaz has been mentioned, as has Chavez, whose last fight resulted in the ring death of former IBF lightweight beltholder Leavander Johnson.

And if that matchup is a little bit to ominous - and it should be - then Julio Diaz, again the IBF titlist, is another possibility.

Barrera is nothing short of an icon to Mexican boxing fans and a hero to fans of many ethnicities. But his time is growing short - and in fact, may have already come.

Most of us never reach that place where Barerra had to dig to survive that fight with Juarez. Even fewer, once they have to go there, can ever go there again. It's not so much a fountain of youth than it is a survival mechanism.

As the death of the courageous Johnson showed, a human brain - no matter to whom it belongs - has only so many punches in it. If a fighter has options - Barrera has completed his pre-law courses - then he should take advantage of them sooner rather than too late.

And it's hard enough to earn a law degree without battling dementia brought on by taking too many punches.

Barrera was and always will be considered a great fighter. But our heroes are better off when they are alive and healthy. And as much as the truth hurts - take a look at Muhammad Ali as living proof - that's just reality.

•Contact Mike Houser at mhouser@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1220