idol kita manny!!!

cheers for the "PAC MAN"!!! you did it again!!!

PACQUIAO DEFEATS BARERRA IN DECISION VICTORY

To the nearly even chants of fans from either side of the Mandalay Bay events center, an anticipated rematch began with all the pomp and circumstance of two rock stars stepping into a boxing ring.

Part of the lure of a sport is to convince a fan that he is part of the action, the hero in the ring is fighting for his cause, country, beliefs, even fighting in that moment for fan himself. If that's the case, there are few current fighters who embody this than Manny Pacquiao and Macro Antonio Barrera. The under card prior to the main event was less of a boxing match than a warm up--the arena was filled with shouting back and forth, one beginning a chant, followed by another... "Ma-nny. Ma-nny" and "Ba-rre-ra. Ba-rre-rea."

And though they cheered as if Barrera was indeed fighting for each of them individually, the thousands in attendance to witness what he has claimed to be his final fight, Barrera was not able let the energy carry him above the speed and tenacity of Manny Pacquiao. The defending champ also had thousands of fans, rallying with him as he hammered out a unanimous decision with scores of 118-109,118-109 and 115-112.

To some, including HBO's Bert Sugar who also scored the fight 115-112, the last score was potentially the more accurate and telling account of the fight, which had both fighters seemingly trading styles--going from boxer to puncher and back as the rounds wore on. From the outset it was clear that Pacquiao was the faster and busier fighter, sneaking by Barrera's defenses and initiating the majority of exchanges in the first three rounds. But by the third round Barrera had developed a strong leading jab and established a defensive routine of "wait and see" counterpunching that allowed him show more strongly in the following rounds most notably in the fifth, when Barrera temporarily hurt Pacquiao wobbling him with a strong right.

Into the later rounds of the fight, Pacquiao looked the more tired fighter and Barrera the more calculated and calm one, keeping on his toes while moving backward, waiting for Pacquiao to lunge inside with a jab. He continued to land accurate jabs while trying to stay out of the corners where the many attacks by Pacquiao forced Barrera into losing exchanges against Pacquiao's faster flurries.

By the end of round 9, it could have easily been either fighter's fight, depending on how you saw the action. Pacquiao had established a stronger attack based on his aggression, speed and control; while Barrera had been landing some harder shots, showing superior strategy and defense and seemed less winded than Pac-Man.

The final rounds of the fight proved to be the turning point and the final nail in Barrera's fight game coffin. In need of decisive final rounds and unwilling to engage Pacquiao aggressively enough to score clear victories, Barrera continued to jab at Pacquiao while being attacked and countered. Bloodied by a hard left to the eye by Pacquiao and frustrated, Barrera popped Pacquiao after a break in the 11th round, resulting in a deducted point, driving home the ultimate loss.

Though tonight marked another classic fighter's departure from the sport this year, it was a smarter and more tactical Marco Antonio Barrera tonight, who still proved that he could mix it up and bring the action to his opponent and excitement to the crowd. For his part Pacquiao also again showed that his speed, heart and endurance are the reasons why he remains on the top of many pound-for-pound lists. As the eyes turn toward another rematch on Pac-Man's horizon against Juan Manuel Marquez.