The finish line, Marco Antonio Barrera concedes, is near.

He's ready, he says, to say "bye bye" to a boxing career that has earned him millions, made him an idol in his native Mexico and has left him on the precipice of the Hall of Fame.

But Barrera, 33, didn't want to coast to the finish line on a so-called victory tour. Instead he wanted the biggest, most difficult fights he could face.

He'll get part one of the equation tonight at Mandalay Bay before a pay-per-view audience on HBO and, more importantly to him, a national, free-TV audience in Mexico, when he takes on former featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super featherweight title.

Barrera (63-4, 42 knockouts) ranks himself the fifth-greatest fighter in Mexican history, behind Salvador Sanchez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares and Erik Morales, but has a chance to add to his legend and perhaps move up a spot or two against the highly regarded Marquez.

"I've done more in boxing than I ever thought I would, or could," Barrera said. "I've gotten more out of it than I ever could have thought. Never would I have dreamed I would be a three-time (world) champion. Never.

"The time to go is close now. I know this. That's why I took this fight. I want to go out not against dead fighters but against great fighters. I want to give the people what they want."

It won't hurt that he'll make a $1.2 million payday -- "I have a wife and kids I have to think about," he says -- but even Marquez understands this isn't a fight Barrera had to take.

Barrera has accomplished enough in boxing, he could have taken a couple of soft touches for his final two fights, collected paychecks and cheers, then said goodbye, Marquez admitted.

Instead, Barrera chose to take on Marquez, a clever boxer and capable brawler who never has been cleanly defeated in a 46-3-1 career. His first loss, in his pro debut, was a fluke when he was disqualified for head butts. His other losses, to Freddie Norwood and Chris John, were questionable calls.

His draw, against Manny Pacquiao, was hotly disputed. One judge scored the fight 10 rounds to 2 for Marquez.

He's one of the most dangerous opponents Barrera could have chosen, which is exactly why Barrera picked him.

"You have to respect him for that," said Marquez, who because of bad timing and his poor choices has lost out on a series of big fights.

Barrera is particularly motivated by the knowledge that the bout will be shown on free TV in Mexico, where both fighters are national heroes.

Though both men are superb boxers who often choose to counter punch, Barrera is expecting a fight more along the lines of his three against Morales, two of which were named Fight of the Year, rather than a tactical battle.

Barrera is a natural lefty who fights right-handed, but if Marquez has a weakness, it's that he has been vulnerable to the left hook. Barrera said he won't hesitate to throw the left but not to expect a predictable attack from him.

"I'm prepared to use both hands and not only my hands, my feet, bite, whatever," Barrera said. "Whatever it takes. The rules are out the window. I'm prepared to go out and do what I have to do to win."

He was beaming when he talked of biting Marquez, so he may have been joking, but he was serious when he promised to give his fans a show.

"My career is almost over, so these last few fights, they have so much meaning," Barrera said. "These next few fights are the most important I've ever had."