The streak of exhibition fights continues.
Mexican rivals Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera are going to collide for a fourth time on July 16 in the United States, according to ESPN Deportes.
A location has not been finalized - and neither are the rules of the fight. The exhibition bout will be fought over the six round distance, but no determination has been made regarding the use of head gear.
The idea of a fourth Morales-Barrera bout came up last year.
The original date of the event was January 15 in Dallas; However, Morales fell ill with COVID-19 and also the issue of the pandemic forced them to delay everything, because they hoped that by pushing back their plans to the summer months they could possibly have fans in attendance.
“We are very happy to be able to get back in the ring. Barrera was a great opponent for me in my career, we had three fights, two of them were the best [fights] of the year, and we are just finalizing some things. In a few days we will have the venue and see if we are going to use head gear or not. What has been decided is that it will be six rounds,” Morales told ESPN Deportes.
In three fights, Morales and Barrera paralyzed the boxing world with their rivalry. The first bout was won by Morales by decision, and the remaining two were won by Barrera. All three fights were close and highly competitive.
At 44, Morales has not fought since 2012 after capturing four divisional titles and posting a 52-9 record with 36 knockouts. At 47, Barrera hasn't fought since 2011, leaving the sport with three divisional titles and a record of 67 wins, 44 of them by knockout, and seven losses.
Last November, the exhibition frenzy began when former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 54-years-old and retired since 2005, returned to the ring for a pay-per-view exhibition fight with Roy Jones Jr. Their contest, which ended in a draw, generated 1.6 million buys on pay-per-view.
Since then, several exhibition fights have been announced with numerous high profile fighters coming out of retirement.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that former four division world champions Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez will collide in an exhibition bout on June 12. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Hector Camacho Jr. will meet in the ring on pay-per-view, also in June. Last week, six division champion Oscar De La Hoya announced his ring return, to take place on pay-per-view in July. And, Floyd Mayweather intends to fight Youtuber Logan Paul on pay-per-view in the summer months.
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