Tag Archives: Mario barrios

Posted on 07/20/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Mario Barrios has had quite a bit of time to reflect on the first loss of his professional career.

Just over a month ago, the 140-pound contender attempted to use his size, strength and overall skills to punish Gervonta Davis. The two squared off in Atlanta Georgia at the State Farm Arena with Barrios placing his WBA “Regular” super lightweight title on the line. Despite holding all of the physical advantages, Barrios was dropped multiple times and ultimately stopped in the 11th as Davis successfully moved up two weight classes to dethrone him.

As the 26-year-old continues to map out his next decision, he revealed that his future may not involve further fights at 140 pounds.

“The move to 147 is definitely soon,” said Barrios during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “Before this fight with Gervonta, I was ready to make that move to 147. Given the opportunity, we might stay at 140. I’m going to sit down and talk to my team but the move up to welterweight is going to be soon.”

For Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs), he’s still attempting to get used to calling himself a former champion. Since capturing the WBA 140 pound “Regular” title in 2019, Barrios has proudly defended his crown. In his matchup against Davis, however, he simply couldn’t stand up to the power that the Baltimore native dished out.

Still, regardless of the conclusive defeat, Barrios believes that referee Thomas Taylor stepped in prematurely to call a halt to their contest. Outside of the three knockdowns, Barrios appeared to be holding his own. At times, he flashed a hard jab and stung Davis on multiple occasions. The jam-packed crowd at the State Farm Arena stood on their feet on several occasions as the action was nonstop.

Had their contest not been called off, Barrios believes he had a chance to do the unthinkable and pull off the win. The what-ifs, however, isn’t something that Barrios wants to dwell upon. With the first loss of his career now smeared on his resume, he’s anxious to make amends for it.

“It’s a fight I know that I was in. That’s why it’s so motivating because I know it was that close but it got called off with a round and a half left. It’s made me more hungry than anything.”

Posted on 07/05/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It was essentially a lateral, albeit still successful move.

As first reported by ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Gervonta Davis vs. Mario Barrios generated just over 200,000 pay-per-view buys. Coppinger also reported that the final figure for the event, which took place on June 26th, in Atlanta Georgia, will settle in at approximately at 210k-215k buys.

For the 26-year-old Davis, his showdown against Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) represented his second straight pay-per-view. Roughly eight months ago, at the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas, Davis took on former multiple division champion, Leo Santa Cruz. After five rounds of fairly even action, Davis found the shot he was looking for, a left uppercut that immediately turned off the lights of Santa Cruz the moment it landed in the sixth round. For his PPV debut, Davis vs. Santa Cruz reportedly raked in roughly 200k-225k buys.

Despite his initial figures, his second run on the PPV platform has failed to generate bigger numbers. On the night, Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) moved up two weight classes to take on Barrios. Regardless of Barrios holding an advantage in height, reach and overall size – Davis had little to no trouble navigating through the 140-pound waters. The hard-hitting multiple division titlist added another piece of hardware to his championship mantle as he dropped Barrios three times before stopping him in the 11th. With the win, Davis snagged his third WBA “Regular” title as he currently holds the same strap at both 130 and 135.

Also featured on the card in the co-main event were two highly rated 154-pound contenders as Erickson Lubin took on former unified champion, Jeison Rosario. Lubin would go on to dominate the action before picking up the win via sixth-round stoppage.

Posted on 06/28/2021

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.

Posted on 06/27/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The thought of fighting Gervonta Davis never crossed his mind. But once the Baltimore native announced that he was moving up to 140 pounds to face Mario Barrios for his WBA “Regular” Jr welterweight world title, the wheels in the mind of Regis Prograis began churning.

Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) officially made his debut in his new weight class last night at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia, dropping Barrios three times before ultimately stopping him in the 11th. Prograis, a former belt holder at the weight class, admits that he was tuned in from the opening bell to the violent ending and tips his cap to Davis for picking up the win. With that said, he firmly believes that if he were the one in that ring, it would have been a completely different story.

“I saw the Tank fight,” said Prograis during a self-recorded video. “Good fight Tank, solid opponent but he ain’t me. Don’t you ever say my name cause I guarantee I’ll smash you.”

Prograis, 32, was apoplectic, to say the least, when Davis vs. Barrios became a reality. The New Orleans native had originally pursued a showdown against Barrios but was led to believe that he was moving up in weight instead. That in turn, forced Prograis (26-1, 22 KOs) to hunt other options. What resulted from that, was a showdown against fringe contender Ivan Redkach, a matchup Prograis would go on to dominate and win via sixth-round stoppage earlier this year in April.

As for the knockout win picked up by Davis, Prograis wasn’t the least bit surprised. Although Davis was moving up from 130 pounds, Prograis never thought highly of Barrios in the first place and expected Davis to score the stoppage win.

In terms of what’s next, Davis had an inquisitive look on his face when asked if his next fight will be at 130, 135 or if he’ll opt to face bigger men at 140. Regardless of what he ultimately decides to do, Prograis won’t spend his time waiting by the phone expecting it to ring for an offer to fight Davis.

“I guarantee Floyd, Leonard Ellerbe and none of those mother f*ckers will ever let you close to me. I will f*cking knock you out little boy.”

Posted on 06/27/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Gervonta Davis has always exuded a large amount of hubris whenever he walks into a room. That confidence goes through the roof when he enters the ring as he’s knocked out virtually every single one of his opponents.

Even last night, as Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) moved up two weight classes to take on a much bigger man in Mario Barrios, the Baltimore native appeared unconcerned with what the former WBA “Regular” Jr welterweight titlist had to offer. At times, Davis smiled as the punches of Barrios whizzed past his face and hit nothing but air. But while he appeared to be under control and calm under pressure, Davis revealed that he was actually timorous.

“I definitely was nervous the whole night,” said Davis following his win over Barrios to a group of reporters. “I didn’t know if I catch him would I hurt him or if he catch me would he hurt me? He had on 8 ounces (gloves) and I was going up two weight classes. I ain’t wanna get caught so I laid back the whole fight.”

Despite his more cautious approach, the question of whether or not Davis could actually hurt his much bigger opponent was answered in the eighth round. It was an explosive period for Davis as he sent Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) to the deck on two separate occasions. Although he managed to crawl back to his feet, he was ultimately battered for much of the round. In the 11th, Davis sent him back to the deck, this time due to a body shot. Barrios may have beaten the count once again but the contest was stopped soon after as Davis began unloading on his man.

Before the Baltimore product found the fight-ending shots he was looking for, he revealed that there was a moment where his anxiety went through the roof.

After sending Barrios to the canvas in eighth, he not only rose to his feet and dusted himself off but he also fought back in the following round. In one sequence in particular, the San Antonio native uncorked a left hand that pushed Davis into the ropes. Seemingly impressed, Davis nodded his head in approval of the shot. Although that ultimately wasn’t the blow that caught his attention, Davis disclosed the exact sequence that had his mind racing all night.

“No,” said Davis when answering if the left hook in the ninth hurt him. “He hit me in the back of my head that stung a little bit. That’s why I was nervous. He’s 140 so I wasn’t trying to get caught to clean. When he actually caught me I was thinking, was he throwing it soft or is he trying to bait me in? That’s what I was thinking the whole night.”

Posted on 06/27/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It was an unexpected call initially but one Mario Barrios was more than willing to take.

Barrios looked down on Gervonta Davis as the two stepped into the middle of the ring at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia earlier tonight.

Yet, after 11 rounds of a back and forth war, it was Davis who looked down upon Barrios.

Normally aggressive, Davis opted to play the waiting game as he moved up two weight classes to take this fight. With Barrios holding several physical advantages, including a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage, Davis attempted to find his range. In the meanwhile, Barrios began banking rounds. The San Antonio native pushed out a steady jab and constantly had Davis playing defense.

In an attempt to change the momentum of the fight, the Baltimore native began pushing forward, but not throwing many shots. Seemingly content with the way things were playing out, Barrios continued to use what was working, his jab. Needing to navigate through several inches of reach, Davis began finding his mark. But while the offense of Davis was exactly where he wanted it, Barrios didn’t appear fazed. He smiled as Davis hit him with some of his best shots.

With that said, the smile plastered on the face of Barrios didn’t last for very long. As the middle rounds came rolling by, Barrios began wearing the punches of the much smaller man. Although their contest appeared to be even heading into the championship rounds, Davis gave himself some much-needed separation in the eighth.

After completely abandoning his jab, Davis took advantage and got on the inside, the current WBA “Regular” titlist at both 130 and 135 pounds landed an overhand right that saw Barrios hit the deck. He managed to peel himself up off the canvas but was still visibly hurt. Davis ran to his man as soon as the referee permitted and sent him back down to the mat, this time courtesy of a left hand. Once again, Barrios climbed back to his feet but with just over half the round remaining, Davis had plenty of time to work with.

Still, while he appeared to be mere moments from closing the show, Barrios bit down on his mouthpiece and made it to the end of the bell.

Seemingly annoyed with what took place in the eighth, Barrios came out aggressive in the ninth. He landed his best shot of the night, a looping left hand that pushed Davis into the ropes. A smiling Davis wasn’t deterred with what was coming his way and simply smiled at Barrios as he began fooling around in the ring.

Unamused, Barrios began letting his hands go, wiping the smile off Davis face immediately. In the tenth, both men fought to somewhat of a stalemate until the following round.

Finding his way on the inside once again, Davis landed a mind-numbing shot to the body that saw Barrios whimper in pain. He rose to his feet but placed his hands around his midsection in an attempt to protect himself. Taking advantage of his new way of defending himself was Davis as he went straight to the head of Barrios. While he may have remained on his feet, he stumbled around the ring which forced the referee to call a halt to their contest.

Posted on 06/22/2021

By: Hans Themistode

In just a few short days, Gervonta Davis will have the opportunity to become a three-division world champion. The Baltimore native is set to take on WBA “Regular” super lightweight champion Mario Barrios at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday night.

But while the entire Davis vs. Barrios promotion has emphasized the authenticity of their championship bout, Josh Taylor simply shakes his head incredulously.

“Mickey Mouse title,” said Taylor on his Twitter account. “There’s only one at lightweight!”

Taylor, 30, has grown annoyed with the mere mention that Davis is fighting for a legitimate world title. Just last month, the Scottish native became the undisputed world champion at 140 pounds when he took on former unified titlist, Jose Ramirez.

After dropping Ramirez in the sixth and seventh rounds, Taylor held on for a close unanimous decision victory. Considering that he now has all four major world titles sitting on his mantle at home, Taylor believes that no one outside of himself should be acknowledged as a world champion. With that said, the proliferation of world titles in the sport of boxing has allowed multiple world champions within the same sanctioning body.

Despite Taylor’s claims, Davis will still look to add to his championship status. Originally, the move up in weight for Davis came as a surprise. In his most recent ring appearance, Davis took on Leo Santa Cruz at 130 pounds. Although he would go on to win, Davis mentioned that he would campaign at both 130 and 135 pounds but failed to mention a trip to 140. Still, the hard-hitting two-division champion will try his luck against the much bigger man in Barrios this Saturday night.

As for the aforementioned Barrios, despite walking into their showdown with a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage, for the first time in his career, he’ll be the underdog. The 26-year-old San Antonio native began his title reign after winning a hard fought back and forth battle against Batyr Akhmedov in 2019. Barrios has since defended his title against fringe contender Ryan Karl, stopping him in the sixth round in October of 2020.

Posted on 05/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Mario Barrios admits that he had other plans following his win over Ryan Karl in October of 2020. The WBA 140 pound ‘Regular’ belt holder was taken aback however, once his name was mentioned as a possible opponent for multiple division champion, Gervonta Davis.

Most of his shock stems from the two competing in different weight classes. With the last fight for Davis taking place at 130 pounds against Leo Santa Cruz, the thought of the Baltimore native moving up ten pounds to face him never crossed his mind. Nevertheless, the two are scheduled to face off against one another on June 26th in Atlanta Georgia.

The respect Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) has for Davis makes it nearly impossible for the Texas native to trash talk him during the lead-up of their showdown. Barrios has witnessed firsthand up close and personal what Davis can do in the ring. With that said, he believes the multiple division titlist is biting off a bit more than he can chew.

“I was pretty taken away,” said Barrios during an interview with PBC Podcast. “It wasn’t a name I was expecting but it’s a tremendous opportunity for me. He’s a great fighter inside the ring. I respect what he’s trying to do as far as jumping up and fighting a champion but I believe they made a mistake with me.”

For the 25-year-old Barrios, he’s continued to put his head down, work diligently in the gym and perform when the lights shine the brightest. Still, despite his work ethic, Barrios hasn’t become a household name. In the case of Davis, however, he’s quickly become one of boxing’s young stars.

In back-to-back headlining shows, pre-COVID-19 pandemic, Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) sold out multiple arenas. In December of 2019, a jam-packed arena in Atlanta witnessed Davis struggle early on before ultimately stopping long-faded veteran Yuriokis Gamboa. Before that, Davis enjoyed another sold out show, this time in his hometown of Baltimore. Fans were left screaming at the top of their lungs as Davis scored a second-round stoppage against Ricardo Nunez.

Recently, several thousand socially distanced fans in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas attended his most recent win, a sixth-round stoppage over multiple division champion, Leo Santa Cruz. With Davis continuing to score knockouts in the ring and get into legal trouble outside of it, he has quickly turned into a polarizing figure.

Be that as it may, the star power that Davis possesses is something that Barrios craves for himself. Come June 26th, he plans on using his newfound platform to elevate himself on the biggest stage of his career.

“Whether fans like him or not, Gervonta has one of the biggest names in the sport and I’m just excited for the opportunity. This is the type of fight where I get to rise to the occasion and I get to show everybody how great I am.”

Posted on 04/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It was a mixed bag of reactions when Showtime Boxing unveiled their summer schedule. Although there were plenty of important and interesting contests, much of the boxing world was fixated on the ring return of Gervonta Davis. The hard-hitting Baltimore native is officially set to move up in weight to take on WBA “Regular” super lightweight belt holder Mario Barrios.

By and large, the overwhelming sentiment surrounding their showdown is that despite the weight discrepancy, Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) will be another knockout victim. In the mind of someone who has been on the other end of said knockout, he can understand the predictions. However, he simply doesn’t agree.

“Barrios is a great fighter and champion,” said Leo Santa Cruz during an interview with FightHype TV. “People are saying they don’t know who he is and that Gervonta is going to have an easy night but Barrios is not an easy fight. He throws a lot of punches, he’s tough and he’s bigger.”

For Santa Cruz, the news of Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) moving up in weight came as somewhat of a surprise. When the two squared off on Halloween night late last year, their contest took place at 130 pounds. Before then, Davis moved up to the 135 pound division for the first time in his career to stop long faded contender Yuriokis Gamboa. With Davis now fighting in his third weight class in as many fights, many have viewed the move as a continuation of Davis struggling to make weight.

With that said, Santa Cruz is taking a different stance entirely.

“I think that’s a great fight for Gervonta Davis because he wants to prove himself. He wants to be one of the greats. Barrios is a big guy but if he wants to be one of the best, he has to prove himself and fighting against Barrios will prove that.”

Much like the overwhelming majority of Davis opponents, Santa Cruz crumbled underneath the power of the multiple-time world champion. Yet, with Davis campaigning at a higher weight, questions surrounding his ability to carry his knockout power to his newfound weight division have surfaced.

Still, while Davis may fight at a lower weight class, Santa Cruz has a feeling that ultimately, those concerns could be moot come fight night.

“Gervonta Davis has great power. I think he walks around 150 maybe 160 so maybe the weight won’t be an issue.”

Posted on 04/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Gervonta Davis will no longer drain his body in order to make weight.

The former two-division world champion has long been rumored to take on current WBA “Regular” super lightweight world champion Mario Barrios. Now, with Showtime Boxing officially releasing their spring/summer schedule, those rumors have been confirmed.

Outside of his most recent contest against Leo Santa Cruz, Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) has a long history of struggling to make weight. In August of 2017, the Baltimore native failed to make weight for his showdown against Francisco Fonseca and was subsequently stripped of his title at the weigh-in. Davis would still go on to stop Fonseca in the third round of their contest.

In December of 2019, Davis opted to move up to the 135 pound division to take on long faded title contender Yuriorkis Gamboa with the vacant WBA “Regular” title on the line. Despite making the move five pounds north, Davis failed to make weight on the first try. He would then strip down to make the 135-pound weight limit. Regardless of his issues on the scale, Davis went on to stop Gamboa before taking on his toughest test to date in Leo Santa Cruz, starching him in the sixth round of their contest that took place at a contracted weight of 130 pounds.

Although Davis has shown an ability to walk right through his opponents, he’ll face several disadvantages when he takes on Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs). The San Antonio Texas, native will walk into their contest with a four-inch reach and five-inch height advantage.

With both men slated to square off on a Showtime pay-per-view event on June 26th, they’ll receive a major boost in the form of an action packed co-main event.

Former unified 154-pound champion Jeison Rosario will take on streaking contender Erickson Lubin. Both are looking to jump back into the championship mix with a win come fight night.

For Rosario (20-2-1, 14 KOs), he burst onto the scene following a stunning fifth-round upset win against Julian Williams in January of 2020. The win for Rosario may have netted him both the WBA and IBF world titles but his reign at the top of the mountain was truncated in his next ring appearance against Jermell Charlo. The aforementioned Charlo would go on to drop Rosario in the first and sixth-round before ultimately stopping him in brutal fashion in the eighth.

In the case of Lubin (23-1, 16 KOs), he’ll look to place even more distance between himself and his own knockout defeat at the hands of Charlo. The two battled it out in a highly anticipated contest in October of 2017. While it was thought to be a closely fought contest going in, Charlo ended things early with a one-punch knockout. Since then, Lubin has reeled off five straight wins.

Currently, the Florida product occupies the number one ranking in the WBC sanctioning body and looks to further solidify his title shot come June 26th.

Posted on 03/06/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Rolando “Rolly” Romero was taken aback when he first heard the news. The WBA “Regular” 135-pound belt holder had no idea that Gervonta “Tank” Davis was considering a move up, let alone on his way to finalizing a deal to face WBA “Regular” Jr welterweight champion, Mario Barrios.

There contest isn’t set in stone just yet, but according to multiple sources, that is the route Davis will elect to go down this Summer.

Recently, Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) competed at 130 pounds, knocking out former multiple division titlist Leo Santa Cruz. He’s also fought at 135 pounds as well, struggling against long faded Yuriokis Gamboa before ultimately stopping him.

In the opinion of Romero, Davis had no business at 135 and certainly shouldn’t even think about making the move even higher up in weight.

“He’s not really a 35 pounder,” said Romero during an interview with Fight Hype. “He needs to stay at 30, keep bullying those little 126 pounders. He’s going to be a megastar at 130 but who’d he fight at 35? A way past his Gamboa that he struggled with. Gamboa don’t care about boxing anymore. If Tank fights a 35 pounder with some pop, it’s not going to go good for him and at 140, it’s definitely not going to go good for him.”

In the case of Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs), Romero considers him someone with a lot of punching power. The San Antonio Texas, native has stopped eight of his last nine opponents, including most recently, Ryan Karl, on ironically enough, the undercard of Davis vs Santa Cruz on Halloween night last year.

When measuring the power of Barrios, Romero simply looks up as if he is reminiscing and then grabs his jaw and smiles.

“Barrios can crack. I sparred Barrios before. I think he might be a little too big. Barrios is too tall and throws these really good uppercuts. He’s a big boy, Tank is really short.”

Those who believe Davis will get the job done should their contest come to fruition, will point to when Barrios struggled against Batyr Akhmedov in late 2019. The end result may have been a unanimous decision victory but plenty believed that Akhmedov had plenty of good moments in the ring.

Sitting in attendance on that night, just so happen to be Romero. While he’ll admit that Barrios did struggle with his Russian opponent, he’s quick to point out that it’s unfair to bring up that fight as a way to justify that Davis will win.

“That’s at 140. He struggled but he did drop the dude twice. Barrios is just a big boy.”

Posted on 03/03/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For his past two fights, Gervonta Davis has fought at 130 and 135 pounds. Historically though, the two-division knockout artist has had issues making weight in both divisions. With that said, he should have no problem with the scale for his next contest.

As first reported by Mike Coppinger of The Athletic, Davis will move up to 140 pounds to take on WBA “Regular” titlist Mario Barrios sometime in the summer.

Davis, 26, was last seen in the ring on Halloween night against former multiple division champion Leo Santa Cruz. After five fairly even rounds, Davis did what he always does in the sixth. Meaning, he ended things definitively.

The win for the Baltimore native allowed him to hold onto his own WBA 135 pound title while also nabbing the 130-pound crown away from Santa Cruz.

Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) appeared to drop numerous hints over the past several weeks on his social media account, claiming that he was “going to do something spectacular,” in his next ring outing. Doing so against Barrios, however, won’t come easy.

For the 140 pound secondary titlist, a win over Davis would be the biggest of his career. More than likely, the 25-year-old will walk into their showdown as an underdog. Still, he’ll have several advantages on his side, most notably, a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage.

Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) has also shown plenty of power as he’s gone on to stop nine of his last ten opponents, including a sixth-round knockout over Ryan Karl on the undercard of Davis vs Santa Cruz last year.

Currently, there is no news in terms of where their contest could take place but with Davis drawing a huge crowd in Texas for his last ring outing and with Texas Governor Greg Abbott lifting the mask mandate and opening businesses at 100% capacity, Davis vs Barrios could theoretically land there.