10 Craziest Boxing Press Conferences
9. Marco Antonio Barrera Vs. Erik Morales
The Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales rivalry produced not just one of the best boxing matches of all time, but one of the greatest boxing trilogies in history. The two Mexicans clashed for the first time in February 2000 in an epic encounter which saw Morales win via split decision - adding the WBO belt to his WBC title and become the unified Super Bantamweight champion.
During the build up to the highly-anticipated rematch, the already fierce rivalry between the two warriors heated up as Morales repeatedly accused his adversary of being homosexual during the media events - boiling over at a press conference in Houston in December 2001. Barrera, fed up with Morales's homophobic slurs, invited him to repeat the insult to his face, to which Morales obliged. Barrera responded by punching Morales in the face before comically retreating at speed while Morales swung in vain, trying to second in kind - triggering a brief brawl between the two entourages.
Barrera certainly got the last laugh, though, winning the rematch by unanimous decision and completing the trilogy by winning the third encounter at Super Featherweight by a majority decision in 2004.