The rumored date for a rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera is September 15, which would give both fighters ample time to prepare, and Golden Boy and HBO ample time to promote. The rematch is just natural. It should be hyped as a sequel to the Fight of the Year front-runner, which it likely will still be if we do, indeed, see Marquez and Barrera hook it up one more time.
The rematch is intriguing on a few levels, and it goes deeper than the fact that the first bout was fantastic and what championship boxing is all about -- good and bad in that regard. I can already see two potential headlines: "Marquez establishes superiority in rematch," and, "Barrera bounces back again."
Since Barrera will forever be linked to Erik Morales in my mind, I can't help but draw the parallel again, and think about Morales' fights with Manny Pacquiao. In the second, he was clearly outgunned. Once the punches were thrown in the third bout, it wasn't even a fantasy that Morales could win.
With Morales, we saw a true warrior go out not so much in a blaze of glory, but shot down in a hail of bullets like Denzel Washington in Training Day. Could the same be the fate for his arch rival, Barrera? I think it's very possible. That's one more tooth-and-nail battle under Barrera's belt, and nothing but a confidence-builder for Marquez.
Still, I want to find out for sure. If anyone can make another statement, it's Barrera.