LAS VEGAS -- Weeks before featherweights Marco Antonio Barrera and Johnny Tapia clashed inside the MGM Grand's Garden Arena before about 8,000 wildly enthusiastic fans, boxing scribes criticized the lopsided odds that favored the Mexico City native. Barrera was tabbed a 7-2 favorite to retain his universal recognition as the best featherweight in the world.

By fight time, loyal Mexican fans had made their way to the MGM Grand and boosted those odds to almost 5 to 1 in favor of their man.

Barrera's fans must have forgotten about Tapia's boundless spirit. The New Mexico native lost as expected, but he made it a competitive fight, and more importantly for the boxing fans in attendance and watching on HBO, he made it an entertaining night.

After 12 rounds of Tapia's passionate charges against Barrera's controlled boxing, the universally recognized featherweight champ kept his unofficial title as the best 126-pound fighter in the world by scores of 116-112 (Chuck Giampa) and 118-110 (Bill Graham and Dave Moretti). Barrera improved to 56-3 (39 knockouts), while Tapia fell to 52-3 (28).

"I fought a good fight, a tough fight, a great fight," Tapia said. "I thought it was closer than some people thought.

"I thought I was able to fight my fight. It took me a few rounds, but once I stared moving my head, I was able to find a way to be effective.

"What can I do? Marco is a great, great champion, and I have a lot of respect for him. I feel bad for the fans of Albuquerque. I gave my best."

That he did.

It was fire versus ice, and the cold, calculating jab of Barrera overcame the flaming volleys of Tapia.

Among Mexican boxers, Barrera has the best jab since Miguel Canto, and his footwork is reminiscent of Salvador Sanchez. The way he blocked punches reminded some at ringside of a young Larry Holmes.

It's high praise being compared to those fighters, but Barrera has earned it.

Over the past two years, Barrera has transformed himself from a pressure-fighting brawler to a cool counter-punching technician. He isn't as exciting as he was in the mid-to-late '90s, but he wins more frequently.

Barrera is a master boxer and the numbers from this fight prove it. Barrera landed 38 percent of the total 467 jabs he threw over 12 rounds, compared to only eight percent that Tapia landed of the 221 he threw. Barrera landed 40 percent of the total punches he threw compared to only 24 percent for Tapia. The power-punch total was closer, 43 to 37 percent in favor of Barrera, which was why this was such an entertaining fight.

Tapia is a fighter driven by emotion, one who feeds off of the crowd.

"Without the crowd, I'm not who I am," Tapia said. With the crowd solidly behind him in this fight, Tapia pushed his body beyond its limits, and still came up short.

Barrera controlled the first half of the fight with his power jab and deft counter punching, but Tapia finally worked his way inside of Barrera's tight defense in the sixth round and worked over the champion, who covered up on the ropes for almost a minute.

"Anyone who knows how I box knows I get hit for a living," Tapia said. "I don't care what I get hit with, I'm just going to keep coming."

Tapia won the next two rounds on sheer guts on the MaxBoxing scorecard, but his aggressiveness was neutralized by Barrera in the final four rounds.

Tapia never stopped trying, and never stopped with his crowd-pleasing antics. Tapia won over the crowd, but Barrera won the fight. And that's what counts.

A note to hopeful young prospects, hard-working contenders, title holders and would-be world champions: This is how you do it.

Barrera failed to impress in his last outing against Erik Morales this past June, narrowly outpointing his rival in a fight many thought he should have lost. Rather than disappearing, Barrera immediately signed to fight Tapia, a veteran fighter who was also coming off a controversial win, but is just as skilled and experienced as he is.

Beating Tapia is not going to win Barrera more respect in many boxing circles (especially Morales fans) due to the perception that Tapia is a natural 115-pound fighter -- and an old one at that. However, the victory over Tapia is significant, considering Barrera's recent opposition: Since December 2000, Barrera has beaten ex-title holders, current title holders and top contenders.

All of his victims had one thing in common: They could fight and they didn't care much for losing.

This doesn't put Barrera in the league of all-time greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore -- men who often battled three or four future hall of famers in the span of one year, a time frame in which they usually fought 20 times -- but it does mean that he is living up to the legacy of some modern Latino legends like Sanchez and Alexis Arguello.

Sanchez and Arguello fought only the best opposition during their respective primes, sometimes defeating four or five top contenders and current, past or future champions in a two-year stretch.

From February 1979 to August 1980, 130-pound champ Arguello took on and stopped Alfredo Escalera, Rafael "Bazooka" Limon, Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo and Cornelius Boza-Edwards.

From June 1980 to June 1982, featherweight champ Sanchez defeated Danny Lopez, Juan LaPorte, Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson.

From December 2000 to the present, Barrera beat Jesus Salud, Naseem Hamed, Enrique Sanchez, Erik Morales and now Tapia. It's a respectable run by the standards of the '70s and '80s, and an excellent one by today's standards.

There's more to come. Barrera is in one of the best divisions in boxing, so he has many options, most of which will bring tough challenges.