Barrera Tops May 20 Card at Staples

Marcos Antonio Barrera, the Mexican featherweight who took his career to a higher level in recent years with three compelling fights against countryman Erik Morales, will headline a boxing card May 20 at Staples Center.

Barrera, 32, whose 61-4 record includes one loss and two wins in his three fights with Morales, will fight up-and-coming former Olympic star Ricardo “Rocky” Juarez in a 130-pound super-featherweight title fight.

Juarez, of Houston, who turns 26 Friday, has a 25-1 professional record and may be best remembered for the gold-medal match he lost in the 2000 Sydney Olympics that was so controversial the referee was suspended for four years.

Staples and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions also announced, in a Wednesday news conference, a May 27 card at Home Depot Center that will feature a defense of his bantamweight title by Jhonny Gonzalez of Mexico City against Fernando Montiel, a super-flyweight champion moving up a weight class. Also fighting that night, for the super-bantamweight title, will be Daniel Ponce DeLeon, the champion, and Alejandro Barrera, the challenger.

Marcos Antonio Barrera said he decided to give Juarez a title shot after talking to De La Hoya. Juarez said he took only a day to decide once he was given the chance to fight Barrera.

“It will be the first time in my pro career that I will be the underdog,” Juarez said. “So I will be playing with house money.”

-- Bill Dwyre