20 years ago

Date: 15th November 2003

Title: vacant Ring Magazine Featherweight Title

Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions

Tv: HBO World Championship Boxing

Manny Pacquiao
( 37 - 2 - 1 )
Weight: 125 lbs

Marco Antonio Barrera
( 57 - 3 - 0 )
Weight: 126 lbs

Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera fought for the first time on November 15, 2003, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The fight was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and was for The Ring Magazine Featherweight championship of the world. The bout was highly anticipated, as both fighters were considered among the best in the division at the time.

The fight started with Barrera landing a left hand that sent Pacquiao to the canvas, which was ruled as a slip.
Pacquiao was relentless in his attack, throwing and landing punches in bunches. Barrera was unable to keep up with the pace and struggled to mount any significant offense.

In the third round, Pacquiao landed a vicious left hand that sent Barrera to the canvas. Barrera was able to get up, but it was clear that he was in trouble. Pacquiao continued to dominate the fight, landing punches at will and using his speed and footwork to evade Barrera's counterpunches.

Barrera was penalized one point in the ninth round for hitting on the break. He was also knocked down again in the eleventh round, which was a clear indication of the dominance that Pacquiao displayed throughout the fight.

In the eleventh round, Barrera's trainer, Rudy Perez, stepped onto the ring apron, prompting the referee to wave off the fight. Pacquiao was declared the winner by TKO at 2:56 of the eleventh round, and he became The Ring Magazine Featherweight champion of the world.

The judges' scorecards were not needed, as Pacquiao clearly outboxed Barrera throughout the fight. Pacquiao landed 221 of 585 punches (38%) while Barrera only connected with 100 of 526 punches (19%). Pacquiao's speed and accuracy were too much for Barrera to handle, and he was unable to mount any significant offense.