Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2011. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes between 1995 and 2007, from super bantamweight to super featherweight.
After a brief retirement after losing twice to Junior Jones, Barrera revived his career with a trilogy against Erik Morales and a win against Naseem Hamed, earning him the Ring magazine featherweight title. He lost this title in his first fight against Manny Pacquiao. BoxRec currently ranks Barrera 55th in its list of the greatest boxers of all time, pound for pound, while ESPN ranked Barrera as 43rd on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia
- Born: January 17, 1974 — Mexico City, Mexico
- Nationality: Mexican
- Height: 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
- Reach: 70 in (178 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Nov 22, 1989 (Win by TKO vs David Felix)
- Last bout: Feb 12, 2011 (Win by TKO vs Jose Arias)
- Total rounds boxed: 485 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Super flyweight, Super bantamweight, Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight
- KO percentage: 65.7% (44 KO wins in 67 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBO super bantamweight title (first reign) March 31, 1995 – November 22, 1996 (won from Daniel Jiménez; seven defenses; lost to Junior Jones); WBO super bantamweight title (second reign) October 31, 1998 – February 19, 2000 (won the vacant title from Richie Wenton; defended against Paul Lloyd and Pastor Humberto Maurin; lost to Erik Morales); WBC featherweight title June 22, 2002 (won from Erik Morales, with the vacant The Ring title; defended The Ring title against Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley and lost it to Manny Pacquiao on November 15, 2003, per the bout table); WBC super featherweight title November 27, 2004 – March 17, 2007 (won from Erik Morales; defended against Mzonke Fana and twice against Rocky Juarez; added the IBF super featherweight title on September 17, 2005 against Robbie Peden; lost the WBC title to Juan Manuel Márquez) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 75
- Wins: 67
- Wins by KO: 44
- Losses: 7
- Losses by KO: 1
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 1
- Born: January 17, 1974 — Mexico City, Mexico
- Nationality: Mexican
- Height: 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
- Reach: 70 in (178 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Super flyweight, Super bantamweight, Featherweight, Super featherweight, Lightweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 22, 1989 | David Felix | Win | TKO | 2 (4) | Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 2 | Dec 16, 1989 | Federico Lara | Win | TKO | 3 | Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 3 | May 18, 1990 | Ignacio Jacome | Win | PTS | 4 | Salamanca, Mexico |
| 4 | Jun 9, 1990 | Oscar Granados | Win | PTS | 4 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 5 | Aug 4, 1990 | Federico Lara | Win | KO | 3 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 6 | Sep 14, 1990 | Sebastian Amica | Win | TKO | 5 | Acapulco, Mexico |
| 7 | Oct 6, 1990 | Pedro Martínez | Win | TKO | 2 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 8 | Oct 13, 1990 | Jose Yanez | Win | TKO | 2 (6) | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 9 | Dec 8, 1990 | Ivan Salazar | Win | PTS | 8 | Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 10 | Feb 9, 1991 | Esteban Rodriguez | Win | TKO | 4 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 11 | Mar 9, 1991 | Abel Hinojosa | Win | TKO | 5 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 12 | Apr 13, 1991 | Juan Facundo Lopez | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:45 | Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 13 | Jun 29, 1991 | Jaime Rojas | Win | TKO | 6 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 14 | Aug 31, 1991 | Sergio Aguila | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 0:32 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 15 | Nov 2, 1991 | Javier Diaz | Win | DQ | 7 (10) | Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico — Diaz disqualified for feigning injury after a foul |
| 16 | Dec 7, 1991 | Miguel Pina | Win | KO | 1 0:57 | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 17 | Apr 1, 1992 | Josefino Suarez | Win | UD | 12 | Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Won vacant Mexico super flyweight title |
| 18 | Jun 13, 1992 | Jose Felix Montiel | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 0:42 | Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico super flyweight title |
| 19 | Jul 11, 1992 | Miguel Espinoza | Win | KO | 6 (12), 0:55 | Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico super flyweight title |
| 20 | Oct 2, 1992 | Abner Barajas | Win | PTS | 10 | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 21 | Nov 9, 1992 | Esteban Ayala | Win | KO | 4 (12), 1:20 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico super flyweight title |
| 22 | Dec 5, 1992 | Angel Rosario | Win | TKO | 6 (10) | El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 23 | Mar 1, 1993 | Ivan Salazar | Win | UD | 10 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| 24 | Apr 10, 1993 | Facundo Rodriguez | Win | KO | 4 (12), 1:20 | Auditorio Benito Juárez, Veracruz, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico super flyweight title |
| 25 | May 22, 1993 | Noe Santillana | Win | UD | 12 | El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Naucalpan, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained Mexico super flyweight title |
| 26 | Jul 12, 1993 | Elidio Dominguez | Win | KO | 1 (10), 0:45 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| 27 | Aug 28, 1993 | Eduardo Ramirez | Win | UD | 12 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant NABF super flyweight title |
| 28 | Nov 27, 1993 | Alejandro Sanabria | Win | KO | 1 | Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 29 | Mar 1, 1994 | Justo Zuniga | Win | KO | 3 (10), 1:54 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| 30 | Apr 13, 1994 | Carlos Gabriel Salazar | Win | MD | 10 | Estadio F.A.B., Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| 31 | Jun 24, 1994 | Miguel Espinoza | Win | KO | 6 (10), 2:59 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| 32 | Aug 15, 1994 | Israel Gonzalez Bringas | Win | TKO | 8 (10), 1:34 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| 33 | Oct 22, 1994 | Jesus Sarabia | Win | TKO | 3 (12), 2:33 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBA Penta-Continental super bantamweight title |
| 34 | Dec 3, 1994 | Eddie Cook | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 2:31 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA Penta-Continental super bantamweight title |
| 35 | Mar 31, 1995 | Daniel Jiménez | Win | UD | 12 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBO super bantamweight title |
| 36 | Jun 2, 1995 | Frank Toledo | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 1:55 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 37 | Jul 15, 1995 | Maui Diaz | Win | TKO | 1 (12), 2:50 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 38 | Aug 22, 1995 | Agapito Sánchez | Win | UD | 12 | Civic Center, South Padre Island, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 39 | Nov 4, 1995 | Eddie Croft | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 1:38 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 40 | Feb 3, 1996 | Kennedy McKinney | Win | TKO | 12 (12), 2:05 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 41 | May 4, 1996 | Jesse Benavides | Win | KO | 3 (12), 1:15 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 42 | Jul 14, 1996 | Orlando Fernandez | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 1:03 | Mammoth Events Center, Denver, Colorado, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 43 | Sep 14, 1996 | Jesse Magana | Win | TKO | 10 (12), 1:56 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 44 | Nov 22, 1996 | Junior Jones | Loss | DQ | 5 (12), 2:59 | Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBO super bantamweight title; Barrera disqualified after his cornermen entered the ring too early |
| 45 | Apr 18, 1997 | Junior Jones | Loss | UD | 12 | Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBO super bantamweight title |
| 46 | Feb 21, 1998 | Angel Rosario | Win | TKO | 5 (10), 2:40 | Tropicana Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 47 | May 16, 1998 | Geronimo Cardoz | Win | KO | 1 (10), 2:59 | Tropicana Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 48 | Sep 26, 1998 | Pedro Javier Torres | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 1:15 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. |
| 49 | Oct 31, 1998 | Richie Wenton | Win | RTD | 3 (12), 3:00 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBO super bantamweight title |
| 50 | Apr 3, 1999 | Paul Lloyd | Win | RTD | 1 (12), 3:00 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 51 | Aug 7, 1999 | Pastor Humberto Maurin | Win | UD | 12 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 52 | Dec 18, 1999 | Cesar Najera | NC | TKO | 4 (10), 0:36 | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S. — Originally TKO win for Barrera, later ruled NC after Najera's fight record could not be verified |
| 53 | Feb 19, 2000 | Erik Morales | Loss | SD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBO super bantamweight title; For WBC super bantamweight title |
| 54 | Jun 17, 2000 | Luiz Freitas | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:27 | Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 55 | Sep 9, 2000 | Jose Luis Valbuena | Win | UD | 12 | New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 56 | Dec 1, 2000 | Jesus Salud | Win | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | The Venetian Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super bantamweight title |
| 57 | Apr 7, 2001 | Naseem Hamed | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won vacant IBO featherweight title |
| 58 | Sep 8, 2001 | Enrique Sánchez | Win | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| 59 | Jun 22, 2002 | Erik Morales | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC and vacant The Ring featherweight title |
| 60 | Nov 2, 2002 | Johnny Tapia | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained The Ring featherweight title |
| 61 | Apr 12, 2003 | Kevin Kelley | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 1:32 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained The Ring featherweight title |
| 62 | Nov 15, 2003 | Manny Pacquiao | Loss | TKO | 11 (12), 2:56 | Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost The Ring featherweight title |
| 63 | Jun 19, 2004 | Paulie Ayala | Win | TKO | 10 (12), 2:34 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. |
| 64 | Nov 27, 2004 | Erik Morales | Win | MD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC super featherweight title |
| 65 | Apr 9, 2005 | Mzonke Fana | Win | KO | 2 (12), 1:48 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 66 | Sep 17, 2005 | Robbie Peden | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title; Won IBF super featherweight title |
| 67 | May 20, 2006 | Rocky Juarez | Win | SD | 12 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 68 | Sep 16, 2006 | Rocky Juarez | Win | UD | 12 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC super featherweight title |
| 69 | Mar 17, 2007 | Juan Manuel Márquez | Loss | UD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC super featherweight title |
| 70 | Oct 6, 2007 | Manny Pacquiao | Loss | UD | 12 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — For WBC International super featherweight title |
| 71 | Nov 7, 2008 | Sammy Ventura | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 1:01 | Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China |
| 72 | Jan 31, 2009 | Freudis Rojas | Win | DQ | 3 (10), 2:52 | Auditorio Telmex, Zapopan, Mexico — Rojas disqualified for an intentional headbutt |
| 73 | Mar 14, 2009 | Amir Khan | Loss | TD | 5 (12), 2:36 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England — ★ Title fight — For WBA International and vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight titles; Unanimous TD: Barrera cut from an accidental head clash |
| 74 | Jun 26, 2010 | Adailton de Jesus | Win | UD | 10 | Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| 75 | Feb 12, 2011 | Jose Arias | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 2:29 | Coliseo Olímpico Universidad, Guadalajara, Mexico |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBO super bantamweight title (first reign) March 31, 1995 – November 22, 1996 (won from Daniel Jiménez; seven defenses; lost to Junior Jones); WBO super bantamweight title (second reign) October 31, 1998 – February 19, 2000 (won the vacant title from Richie Wenton; defended against Paul Lloyd and Pastor Humberto Maurin; lost to Erik Morales); WBC featherweight title June 22, 2002 (won from Erik Morales, with the vacant The Ring title; defended The Ring title against Johnny Tapia and Kevin Kelley and lost it to Manny Pacquiao on November 15, 2003, per the bout table); WBC super featherweight title November 27, 2004 – March 17, 2007 (won from Erik Morales; defended against Mzonke Fana and twice against Rocky Juarez; added the IBF super featherweight title on September 17, 2005 against Robbie Peden; lost the WBC title to Juan Manuel Márquez) — all dates per the bout table
- Apr 1, 1992 vs Josefino Suarez: Won vacant Mexico super flyweight title
- Jun 13, 1992 vs Jose Felix Montiel: Retained Mexico super flyweight title
- Jul 11, 1992 vs Miguel Espinoza: Retained Mexico super flyweight title
- Nov 9, 1992 vs Esteban Ayala: Retained Mexico super flyweight title
- Apr 10, 1993 vs Facundo Rodriguez: Retained Mexico super flyweight title
- May 22, 1993 vs Noe Santillana: Retained Mexico super flyweight title
- Aug 28, 1993 vs Eduardo Ramirez: Won vacant NABF super flyweight title
- Oct 22, 1994 vs Jesus Sarabia: Won vacant WBA Penta-Continental super bantamweight title
- Dec 3, 1994 vs Eddie Cook: Retained WBA Penta-Continental super bantamweight title
- Mar 31, 1995 vs Daniel Jiménez: Won WBO super bantamweight title
- Jun 2, 1995 vs Frank Toledo: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Jul 15, 1995 vs Maui Diaz: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Aug 22, 1995 vs Agapito Sánchez: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Nov 4, 1995 vs Eddie Croft: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Feb 3, 1996 vs Kennedy McKinney: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- May 4, 1996 vs Jesse Benavides: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Jul 14, 1996 vs Orlando Fernandez: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Sep 14, 1996 vs Jesse Magana: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Nov 22, 1996 vs Junior Jones: Lost WBO super bantamweight title; Barrera disqualified after his cornermen entered the ring too early
- Apr 18, 1997 vs Junior Jones: For WBO super bantamweight title
- Oct 31, 1998 vs Richie Wenton: Won vacant WBO super bantamweight title
- Apr 3, 1999 vs Paul Lloyd: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Aug 7, 1999 vs Pastor Humberto Maurin: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Feb 19, 2000 vs Erik Morales: Lost WBO super bantamweight title; For WBC super bantamweight title
- Jun 17, 2000 vs Luiz Freitas: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Sep 9, 2000 vs Jose Luis Valbuena: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Dec 1, 2000 vs Jesus Salud: Retained WBO super bantamweight title
- Apr 7, 2001 vs Naseem Hamed: Won vacant IBO featherweight title
- Jun 22, 2002 vs Erik Morales: Won WBC and vacant The Ring featherweight title
- Nov 2, 2002 vs Johnny Tapia: Retained The Ring featherweight title
- Apr 12, 2003 vs Kevin Kelley: Retained The Ring featherweight title
- Nov 15, 2003 vs Manny Pacquiao: Lost The Ring featherweight title
- Nov 27, 2004 vs Erik Morales: Won WBC super featherweight title
- Apr 9, 2005 vs Mzonke Fana: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Sep 17, 2005 vs Robbie Peden: Retained WBC super featherweight title; Won IBF super featherweight title
- May 20, 2006 vs Rocky Juarez: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Sep 16, 2006 vs Rocky Juarez: Retained WBC super featherweight title
- Mar 17, 2007 vs Juan Manuel Márquez: Lost WBC super featherweight title
- Oct 6, 2007 vs Manny Pacquiao: For WBC International super featherweight title
- Mar 14, 2009 vs Amir Khan: For WBA International and vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight titles; Unanimous TD: Barrera cut from an accidental head clash
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/The_Baby_Faced_Assassin_-_Marco_Antonio_Barrera.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=original
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-10-31.
