Espinoza confirmed that after losing to Junior Jones in April 1997, Barrera underwent brain surgery to correct a congenital defect. The procedure involved removing "a very small group of malformed blood vessels in his head" and inserting small implants to protect the brain. The operation was not related to boxing.
Barrera, 29, took a nine-month layoff from the ring to recover from the surgery then resumed his boxing career. He has figured in 16 bouts since the operation. No mention of the operation was ever made to media until Barrera severed ties with his long-time manager Ricardo Maldonado and promotions outfit Forum Boxing last June to join Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy stable.
The spilt from Maldonado and Forum Boxing was bitter. It was speculated that Barrera’s estranged associates conspired to leak the news of his brain operation in an effort to dampen enthusiasm for the fight against Pacquiao. Barrera is expected to earn at least $1 Million for the Home Box Office (HBO) cable TV network main event. Pacquiao is guaranteed $350,000, excluding his share of a TV rights package negotiated by Solar Sports.
A similar ruse surfaced a week before Pacquiao’s defense of the International Boxing Federation superbantamweight crown against Emmanuel Lucero in Los Angeles last July. A rumor that Pacquiao tested positive for hepatitis B was reportedly peddled by a rival promoter to spoil the preparations for the bout. Pacquiao was later cleared by doctors and went on to knock out Lucero in the third round.
Barrera’s surgery was performed by Dr. Ignacio Madrazo, a top neurosurgeon, in Mexico City. Espinoza said Barrera was cleared by doctors to continue his boxing career after the surgery.
"Marco has had numerous MRIs and other neural examinations in the six years since the surgery," noted Espinoza in a statement published in the boxing website fightnews.com. "Not one examination has revealed any damage, injury or abnormality. Marco has consulted with neurosurgeons in both Mexico and the US, including specialists from the UCLA and USC medical centers."
Espinoza quoted a June 2003 medical report affirming Barrera’s clean bill of health: "It is clear that Mr. Barrera’s neurosurgical condition does not imply any risk for his professional boxing activity at all. He is able to perform any kind of training and/or boxing without any different risk of what the profession produces in any other human being."
Espinoza implied that Maldonado and Forum Boxing leaked the information when he said that they were fully aware of the procedure. "They were each provided with copies of Mexico’s medical records with the understanding that they would disclose the information to the appropriate parties, including the relevant boxing commissions," continued Espinoza. "When Marco very recently learned that the information had not been timely disclosed, he immediately acted to remedy the situation. Marco loves boxing but as a husband and a father, he would not continue to box if the surgery had created any additional risk of injury to him from boxing."
When informed of Barrera’s surgical history, Pacquiao–now in the US–said he wasn’t bothered. He joked that with the implants in Barrera’s head, he’ll try to loosen the screws during their fight.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said the fighter now weighs 127 pounds, only one over the featherweight limit. Roach described Pacquiao as being in "great physical shape." He shrugged off news of Barrera’s brain surgery as a distraction, saying as long as the operation did not result in a disadvantage or advantage for the Mexican, it has no bearing in the outcome of the coming blockbuster fight billed the "Clash of the Titans."