With Mexican boxing great Erik Morales turning 39 years old today, we thought it would be a good time to pay tribute to arguably the most exciting round he was ever involved in.

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The round in question is of course round 5 in his first epic war with long time rival and fellow countryman Marco Antonio Barrera, in a three minute period that can only be described as, well, extreme.

The fight was back in 2000 and at the time the round was so widely praised, that Ring Magazine voted it round of the year.

The back and forth savagery that ensued was perhaps some of the most intense and ferocious exchanges ever captured on film in professional boxing – between two fighters in the lighter weight classes.

It was no secret that neither guy was particularly fond of one another at the time, and you can almost feel the genuine anger between the two’s chaotic bid to hurt each other coming through on screen.

A truly incredible war, that is now a part of the history books of the sweet science at this point. Morales came out with the split decision victory on the night, but boxing fans were the real winner.

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Here’s round 5, arguably one of the very best rounds of all time in boxing: