On Saturday night, fight fans were treated to an exciting encounter between an aging legend in the final chapters of his career, pitted against a young and hungry contender unwilling to take no for an answer. In a wildly entertaining bout, Marco Antonio Barrera defeated Ricardo "Rocky" Juarez via split decision to retain his WBC super featherweight title.

When ring announcer Michael Buffer read the scorecards, the result was initially declared a split decision draw. However, after HBO went off the air, it was discovered that Ken Morita's score of a 114-114 draw had been incorrectly tabulated. Barrera, 62-4 (42 KO), successfully defended the WBC for the third time. Juarez, now 25-2 (18 KO), loses for the second time in four fights, both by close margins.

The first round set the tone for the high intensity action that would take place in the Staples Center. Barrera, who fights out of Mexico City, came out from the bell fighting a very smart fight. Being the more versatile fighter, he was able to keep the Houston-based Juarez on the end of his hard jab. Barrera seemed to get the better of the first and second rounds, finding success with his more fluid combinations. In the third round, Barrera was getting the better of the exchanges until one Juarez left hook sent him reeling to the ropes with less than 10 seconds left in the stanza.

By the fourth round, Barrera started to develop major swelling in his face. Recovering well from the devastating punch he absorbed at the end of the third, Barrera went back to his tactical plan and seemed to do enough to shade the fourth round. In the fifth, Barrera elected to stand his ground more and go to war. Barrera was still in control, but Juarez was beginning to wear down the Mexican legend. In the sixth round, the match started to produce some serious back-and-forth action that fans and pundits alike had expected. Barrera had been in control for the first half of the round, but in the second half Juarez started to close the distance and got a lot of good work done with his trademark left hook and body work. After six rounds, HBO unofficial judge Harold Lederman had Barrera winning 5 rounds to 1.

In the seventh round, Juarez started to get the close quarter fight that he desired. Fighting in a proverbial phone booth, both fighters got off well with short combinations to the head and body. By the eighth round, Juarez started to take control of the fight as Barrera's activity level dropped. After dropping his mouthpiece multiple times, it was theorized that Barrera had suffered facial injuries. Later, Barrera would explain that he had a problem with the fitting of the mouthpiece. In the later rounds, Barrera started to wear down dramatically as his pace slowed, allowing Juarez to do damage and score heavily with his left hook.

By the tenth round, Barrera's face was grotesquely swollen as a result of the blows that Juarez was able to land. Barrera was still fighting back manfully, but was unable to keep up with Juarez' pace consistently. In the eleventh round, both warriors stood toe-to-toe trying to muster the one punch that would end the fight in their favor. Juarez, who had fought conservatively in the early rounds, began to apply pressure to Barrera as the champion started to fade. In the twelfth round, both men got off vicious blows, but Juarez by far landed the more effective shots.

When the scorecards were handed in, ring announcer Michael Buffer announced the result as a split decision draw, by the scores of 115-113 Juarez, 115-113 Barrera and 114-114. However, the confusion was remedied when the official who scored the bout a draw was discovered to have incorrectly tallied up his card. The official scores were recalculated with Barrera winning 115-114 and 115-113 on two cards, while Duane Ford handed in a card that had Juarez ahead 115-114.

While Juarez lost this fight, his competitiveness against one of the sport's pound-for-pound elite suggests that he has the capability to one day become a champion. Juarez, who was a silver medalist in the 2000 Olympics, gave Barrera the type of hell that he hadn't experienced since the drubbing Manny Pacquiao gave him in November 2003. His left hook is one of the best punches in the lower weight divisions, and he does have some subtle technical wrinkles that make him a very dangerous opponent for anyone in that weight range. He now has two losses, but both were very close and well fought. Juarez has the ability to hang in there with anyone in the featherweight divisions.

In the aftermath of this fight, the big question was about where Barrera goes from here. During the post fight interview conducted by Larry Merchant, the HBO commentator inquired about Barrera's plans following this fight. Barrera, whose face told the story of an intense fight, replied "I don't know. Richard Schaeffer and Oscar (De La Hoya) are the ones who are going to decide. We'll see what they say."

The fight that everyone has been calling for is a rematch with Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao. In their first encounter two and a half years ago, Pacquiao knocked Barrera down twice and punished him en route to an eleventh round stoppage. The steam rolling Barrera suffered at the hands of the southpaw slugger had many in the sport believing that Barrera was all done as a prizefighter.

A win over Manny Pacquiao would mean a great deal to his legacy, as Pacquiao is the only man to officially be credited with knocking out Barrera. The Juarez fight, however, suggests that at this stage of his career that he is unable to consistently handle the pace that a younger, more energetic fighter like Pacquiao fights at. It would be a monumental achievement if Barrera was to pull of the upset in a rematch, but most in the press agree that that is highly unlikely to occur. At the age of 32, Barrera has been a professional prizefighter for half of his life. The ring wars have slowed him down, and it would not surprise me if the next time he steps up again facing a young fighter that he loses by clear margins.

A rematch between Juarez and Barrera is highly unlikely, given the life and death struggle that Barrera found himself in. Juarez was fighting in his first fight at 130 following his upset loss to Humberto Soto last summer. In order for the rematch to occur, Juarez would have to be declared the No. 1 contender, which is still a possibility given the alphabet history of questionable ranking decisions. In the event that they do meet again, I would have to favor Juarez as I am not sure how much Barrera has left in the tank.

Capturing, Barrera's experience and heart allowed him to survive a spirited challenge from a dangerous young contender. Barrera, in the twilight of his career, exhibited that he still has the intangibles of a champion. Juarez, fighting in his first fight against a superstar, showed that he is a serious threat in the featherweight divisions. In one of the year's most entertaining bouts, Barrera came out on top to retain his super featherweight crown.