By: Hans Themistode

Throughout the entire buildup to his bout against Gervonta Davis, Mario Barrios claimed that he would show both the Baltimore native and the entire world the true meaning of an “El Azteca.”

In other words, Barrios was determined to prove how much a warrior he truly he is. By all accounts, he demonstrated just that as he picked himself up off the deck several times before ultimately getting stopped in the 11th round in front of a pro-Davis crowd at the State Farm Arena, in Atlanta Georgia.

With the first loss of his career officially plastered to his resume, Barrios doesn’t regret taking the fight, he gave it everything he had and vowed to come back in the near future.

“Thank you everyone who pulled out in Atlanta,” said Barrios on his social media account. “Y’all didn’t disappoint. Came out here and left everything in the ring as promised but it wasn’t my night. Still love this shit. I’ll be back.”

The loss for Barrios not only represented the first of his career but it also meant he could no longer call himself a world champion. For two years, Barrios proudly defended his WBA “Regular” super lightweight title. While it’s unclear if Davis will opt to stay at 140, there’s a chance that the next ring appearance for Barrios could occur at 147 pounds.

Originally, Regis Prograis, a former belt holder in the division, attempted to get his hands on Barrios in the ring. However, the New Orleans native claims that he was ultimately turned down due to those in Barrios camp insisting that he intended on moving up in weight. Needless to say, Prograis was dumbfounded when Barrios stuck around at the weight to take on Davis.

Regardless of what he decides to do next, Barrios figures to have plenty of options due to his strong performance. Not only did he show an iron chin against Davis but he also had plenty of strong moments of his own. In the ninth, for example, Barrios uncorked a left hand that rocked Davis and sent him into the ropes.

Still, his success came few and far between. At the time of stoppage, Barrios was trailing on all three scorecards. Judge David Sutherland had it 97-91 while Zachary Young and Thomas Taylor had it 96-92, all in favor of Davis.

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