On this day 21 years ago, before a highly-partisan crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, I sat at ringside to witness a watershed moment for Philippine boxing.
On top of the ring was a triumphant Manny Pacquiao, who defied tremendous odds in beating up Marco Antonio Barrera for what was regarded then as a championship for the best featherweight in the world.
While Pacquiao was fighting for the fifth time on American soil — following a rousing debut in June 2001 in Las Vegas — it was this 11th-round knockout win over Mexico’s beloved Barrera that established the Filipino southpaw as a pound-for-pound fighter.
Barrera had just signed a lucrative promotional pact with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions when he agreed to face Pacquiao, who was moving up in weight and seen as the perfect guy for the new signee to turn into a punching spectacle.
As one of two Filipino writers at ringside, the atmosphere at the venue was hostile.
The people in attendance were there to witness Barrera solidify his claim as a top dog in the 126-lb division.
As we all know, the exact opposite happened.
But the road to victory was rough and rocky.
Barrera was credited with a knockdown in the first round.
To make matters worse, Barrera was floored by Pacquiao but referee Laurence Cole, the son of Texas boxing commission chief Dickie Cole, ruled it a slip and prevented the General Santos City puncher from winning the round with a 10-8 score.
Stung by the non-call, Pacquiao buckled down to work and began blasting Barrera with hits to the head and body with the audience sensing each passing round that things are not going to end up the way they intend to see.
When it was all over, Pacquiao’s corner erupted in jubilation while Barrera’s corner was a picture of gloom and despair.
Barrera, his face bruised from all the battering that he absorbed, was being consoled by his brothers while members of his corner looked as if they were attending a wake, their faces long and sullen, some of them weeping.
Over at Pacquiao’s corner, there was celebration.
Freddie Roach was beaming with pride. So were conditioning coach Justin Fortune, cutman Lenny De Jesus and training assistant Buboy Fernandez.
The old guys who ran Pacquiao’s affairs — Rod Nazario, Lito Mondejar and Ramon Lainez — were there as well.
Another member of that esteemed group, Gerry Garcia, was extremely delighted as well.
Jinkee Pacquiao, who had missed Pacquiao’s first few fights in the United States, was joined by former Abante scribe Virgi Romano.
More than two decades later, the images remain fresh.
Jinkee was so excited to relay the news to her folks in the Philippines that I accompanied her to a room with a long distance connection so she could do so.
I also did the same and called home to tell them of Pacquiao’s electrifying exploits.
The Barrera fight ranks highly on my list.
I won’t be surprised if that one is also one of your favorites.