Boxing has millions of fans all around the world. Common people enjoy watching the blow exchanges but also famous and legendary sportsmen. One of the most enthusiastic fans that the Sweet Science has is former soccer ace Wayne Rooney, who has a special devotion for Mexican boxing style and particularly for one of its warriors, which, interestingly, it is not Canelo Alvarez or Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez.
Rooney is a true legend of British soccer. He carved his legacy scoring plenty of goals and having brilliant performances with Everton, Manchester United, and the English National Team. Also, he spent two seasons in the MLS, with the DC United, in which he played 50 games and scored 23 goals.
The records of Wayne Rooney support his quality of a British soccer Superstar, as he is English National Team Top Scorer (53 goals), and its second most-capped player (120 appearances). The Liverpool native is also Manchester United's most prolific striker of all time (253 goals) and Premier League's second behind Alan Shearer.
"Who is that dude?" Wayne Rooney's favorite Mexican boxer did not recognize him
In an interview for the Youtuber Roberto Martinez's podcast, it was revealed that Wayne Rooney had a deep admiration for Marco Antonio Barrera, one of the last idols of Mexican boxing, as he achieved to be a three-division World Champion. The also known as the Baby Faced Assassin shared the peculiar way he noticed that Rooney was his number one fan.
Barrera has a friendship with British former World Super lightweight Champion Ricky Hatton. They used to spend time together during their fights in Las Vegas, some photographs certify those moments: "Once, my son saw a picture of mine with Hatton and someone else and told me, 'Do you know Rooney?' And I answer him, 'Who is that dude?'. After seeing again the photo Rooney was the other person that appeared on it. "Oh yes, He is Hatton's friend. He attended many of my fights, he loves the Mexican boxing style", stated Marco.
Marco Barrera confirms Wayne Rooney bad habits
Rooney's favorite Mexican boxer also leaked the bad habits that the Manchester United superstar had at the time when Wayne was one of the best players of the world: "We meet in Vegas. He used to step on the ring after my fights. I usually fought and won, and then I had dinner in a restaurant where Rooney and Hatton hang out. I left the place after dinner and the next day I found them still there: they used to drink all night long. I did not know who he was (Rooney)".
Marco Antonio Barrera had a 22-year long brilliant boxing career. He held 75 fights: 67 wins, 7 defeats, and 1 no contest. He battled against the best fighters of his era: Erik Morales, Naseem Hamed, Kevin Kelly, Manny Pacquiao, Rocky Juarez, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Amir Khan among others. Since 2017, he is a Hall of Famer.
