Marco Antonio Barrera v Paulie Ayala

Mexican modern great Marco Antonio Barrera won his first fight since losing to Manny Pacquiao when he stopped the brave but outgunned Paulie Ayala in 10 rounds on Saturday night.

Many in the trade felt Barrera was finished after he was brutally beaten by Pacquiao last November, but he served warning to the rest of the featherweight division with a comprehensive win over the world ranked Ayala in California.

Barrera was always in control of the bout, at times boxing beatifully in front of a partisan crowd of some 5,732.

The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ was ahead on all cards before upping the pace in the seventh round.

In all the Mexican dropped Ayala three times before stopping his man in the tenth to show all his rivals at 9st he is far from spent at the highest level.