Barrera/Marquez II seems like a done deal.

WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez will face former champion Marco Antonio Barrera in a title rematch on September 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or Argentinean Jorge Barrios.

This was revealed by Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today even as bitter rival Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions claimed Marquez was asking for too much money for a rematch with Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and was not a fighter who could draw the crowds.

Schaefer said if Barrera didn’t want to do it, it was fine by him because Barrios would step up and Golden Boy considers him “a very exciting fighter for Marquez.” Schaefer said the fights will be covered by HBO. The 30 year old Barrios has a record of 47-3-1with 34 knockouts. In his last fight Barrios scored a third round knockout over Thailand’s Decho Bankluaygym on April 21 this year, decking the Thai fighter once in the first round and then again in the third before putting him away,. Bankluaygym had earlier dropped a ten round decision to Filipino southpaw Czar Amonsot on March 18, 2006.

In an earlier showdown with the touted Joan Guzman who was mentioned by Arum as a possible opponent for Pacquiao later this year, Barrios lost a split decision on September 16 last year.

Schaefer responded to Arum’s comments belittling Marquez pointing out that when Marquez was with Arum he always said he was “the best fighter in that particular weight class and now since he’s not with him anymore suddenly Marquez is nothing.”