Marco Antonio Barrera Tickets

The last image of the night was Kevin Kelley's longtime trainer Phil Borgia reaching across the ropes and cradling his friend after his obligatory defeat at the hands of the best featherweight in the world. It was the only mercy shown throughout the evening. Marco Antonio Barrera, the uncrowned premier featherweight champion of the world wasted little pity or time in scoring an overwhelming TKO over Kelley in four one-sided rounds. Marco Antonio Barrera hammered Kelley to the deck in the first round and twice more in the fourth with riveting and digging body shots. Kelley was back on his heels and in trouble, when Marco Antonio Barrera landed another final flurry before referee Robert Byrd had seen enough and wisely stopped the mismatch. The official time of the TKO victory was listed at 1:32 of the fourth round but the outcome of this contest was foreshadowed as soon as Kelley signed the contract.

Going into the contest there were a number of questions about Kelley's chin and his durability. Struggling to make the 126-pound weight limit, Kelley appeared to be a mere shell of the boxer who had won the WBC featherweight crown against Goyo Vargas back in December of 1993 and had Prince Hamed on the deck several times in 1997. Simply put, the thirty-five-year-old Kelley was damaged goods going into the contest and he fought like an old fighter. Nevertheless, Marco Antonio Barrera took his time before finishing him off in the fourth and he downplayed Kelley's obvious vulnerability. "In the first round when I knocked him down, I didn't want to take any chances because I knew he was in good condition and so was I," Marco Antonio Barrera explained after the victory. "I hit him up top and he withstood it but the body shots weakened him." "I didn't show up for a payday. I wanted to make history. I wanted to beat Marco Antonio Barrera tonight. I wanted to beat him so bad I tried too hard," Kelley said. The southpaw Kelley (54-5-2,36 KO's) came out in the first round and attempted to establish his rhythm while Marco Antonio Barrera (57-3, 40KO's) was content to take his time and look for openings. Marco Antonio Barrera (126) fired several jabs short of the target; however, with 1:35 to go in the 1st, he drilled Kelley (126) with a lightening quick counter right to the chin and a sharp left hook to the jaw. Kelley dropped in his tracks landing on the seat of his trucks and with a look of bewilderment across his face. Kelley scrambled to his feet at the count of four as the largely pro-Marco Antonio Barrera fans voiced their pleasure. Moments later, Marco Antonio Barrera, 29, scored with another rapid-fire flurry and Kelley, Flushing, New York, was forced to cover. Marco Antonio Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico, dominated the action for the remainder of the round but he was in no hurry to land big shots but rather waited for Kelley to make another mistake.

Kelley attempted change the tempo of the fight in the second and open up while Marco Antonio Barrera remained relaxed and dangerous. At the 1:52 mark of the 2nd, Kelley struggled to unload a combination and Marco Antonio Barrera ripped him with a searing left hook to the ribs and short right hand down the middle. Kelley answered by giving ground and rethinking his approach to landing leather. Marco Antonio Barrera remained on the outside content to box but with 1:11 to go in the round, he drilled Kelley with another digging left hook to the ribs. Moments later, Marco Antonio Barrera scored again with a straight right cross that momentarily wobbled the lefthander's wide spread stance. Marco Antonio Barrera then began nailing Kelley with punishing left jabs that ricocheted off the ex-WBC champ's face. Within seconds, both of Kelley's eyes began swelling. Marco Antonio Barrera closed out the 2nd, with a chopping right hand to the face and a final flurry at the bell that sent Kelley back to his corner breathing hard and in trouble. Kelley made somewhat of a charge early in the third round and connected with a light combination. With his hands held high, Marco Antonio Barrera returned fire by drilling Kelley with shotgun left jabs that did little to improve the former champion's health or his vision. At the 2:11 mark of the 3rd, Marco Antonio Barrera Fights hammered Kelley with a double hook that first exploded off the aging boxer's ribs and then face. With 1:35 remaining in the round, Marco Antonio Barrera drilled Kelley with three more jolting left jabs that rocketed off the veteran fighter's profile. Marco Antonio Barrera Tickets closed out the third round by punishing Kelley with a two sharp left hooks to the belly and at the 40-second mark another screaming hook to the ribs that nearly doubled over the ex-champ.
 
Marco Antonio Barrera's wicked body attack in the 3rd had slowed Kelley and he was still breathing hard when the bell sounded to open the fourth round. Marco Antonio Barrera continued to land stinging jabs in the center of the ring but at the 2:24 mark, he ripped Kelley with two blistering body shots that thudded off his rib cage. Kelley took two-steps back and Marco Antonio Barrera Fights dropped him with a sharp right cross to the face. While the right may have floored Kelley, it was the body punches that hurt him and he landed on his backside with his left glove still trying to guard against another body blast. Kelley slowly rolled over and climbed to his feet at the count of four, still grimacing from the searing right hand that seemingly almost cut him in two. Marco Antonio Barrera scored with several more range finding jabs and another left hook to the liver as Kelley tried to bounce and get some life back into his legs. Marco Antonio Barrera Tickets went back to work and landed three more ripping body shots and a clubbing right hand that caught Kelley in the back of the skull. Kelley dropped face first to the canvas but as he kicked his legs in agony it was once again the body shots that tattooed his ribs that put him on the deck. In pain but still not ready to quit, Kelley struggled to his feet at the count of nine and just barely beat the count. Before the fight continued, referee Robert Byrd shouted at Kelley, "You got to show m something," and the slaughter resumed. Kelley retreated to the corner and Marco Antonio Barrera landed another half dozen whistling shots to the head and belly before Byrd had finally seen enough. The veteran official grabbed Marco Antonio Barrera around the chest and pulled him off the beaten fighter. Kelley staggered to his right but remained upright until his friend Borgia embraced him over the ropes.