One of the greats of the squared ring is coming to a Birmingham gym this weekend.
Marco Antonio Barrera, probably best-remembered on British shores for ending the 35-fight unbeaten run of Prince Naseem Hamed in 2001, will be visiting Jon Pegg and Michael Walsh's Midland Boxing Academy gym on Saturday [March 10] for a meet and greet in a setting he knows best.
Pegg and Walsh have secured the arrival of the former three-weight world champion [pictured], who still holds hope of meeting current WBC light-welterweight boss Erik Morales for a fourth time [two wins to Barrera, 67-7 (44)], and will be at the gym between 1pm and 3pm.
Barrera has won WBO, WBC and IBF belts at super-bantamweight, featherweight and super-featherweight - and boxed in Britain twice during a 23-year professional career that hasn't officially ended.
The 38-year-old 'Baby-Faced Assassin' thumped Paul Lloyd to a one-round retirement defeat [on a cut but the Liverpudlian had been dropped] for the WBO super-bantamweight title at the Royal Albert Hall in 2001 and, eight years later in Manchester, lost a controversial five-round technical decision to then-rising star Amir Khan.
An opening-round clash of heads left the Mexican legend masked in his own blood and post-fight consensus favoured the fight being halted during the first three minutes. But it was allowed to continue until the fifth - when, as some point out, Khan could be declared the winner and not have a No Contest stain on his ledger.
But by the time Barrera met Khan he was past his best and in a weight division nine pounds above his comfort zone. In his prime, though, he'll be remembered for his never-say-die attitude and contests with the likes of Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales, Manny Pacquaio, Juan Manuel Marquez, Johnny Tapia, Paulie Ayala, Junior Jones, Frankie Toledo, Rocky Juarez and Kennedy McKinney.
In short, Barrera, who also smashed another Liverpool-based boxer, Richie Wenton, to a four-round defeat for the WBO strap in 1998, never ducked a fight at elite level from the moment he won his first world title in 1995.
"It's great that we've got a legend of the sport coming to our gym on Saturday afternoon," said former pro bantamweight, manager, trainer and matchmaker Pegg, whose leading charge, Brummie light-middleweight Max Maxwell, boxes for the British title in just over three weeks time.
"People want to have their photo taken with their heroes and we're giving people that chance for a reasonable price."
A limited amount of tickets, which cost only £10, are still available and can be bought by ringing 0121 6222120, by e-mailing jo.mba@btconnect.com or, if you're on Facebook, by sending a message to Jon Pegg or Michael Walsh.
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