In a fight between ex-world champions, Mario Barrios (28-2, 18 KOs) of San Antonio struck with two knockdowns and secured the Interim WBC Welterweight Title. He did this with a remarkable unanimous decision, scoring 117-108, 118-107 twice, against Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (27-6, 12 KOs) in their pay-per-view secondary attraction.
““All the grind from camp bore fruit tonight. I’m pleased with how I performed. I’ve always held Ugas in high regard, and my respect for him just escalated. He delivered a significant fight, and for this chance, I’m grateful.”
Barrios delivered the initial game-changing hit late in the second round, slipping in a potent left hand against the advancing Ugas, toppling the erstwhile welterweight champion. Ugas promptly rebounded, his resolve unshaken, but this hit hinted at the challenges he would face in outdoing the more youthful Barrios.
“That first knockdown indeed defined the vibe as he initially got me with a sweet liver shot, setting me back a bit,” reflected Barrios. “But once I got into my groove and discovered that swift jab, I began to accelerate.”
However, the pace mismatch didn’t deter Ugas. He leveraged a more intensive body assault and several crisp right hands in an attempt to decelerate Barrios. But Barrios’ relentless assault made it challenging for Ugas to gain traction, throwing 810 to Ugas’ 484 and landing more jabs (107) than Ugas’ total hits (101).
The persistent offense from Barrios started to grind on Ugas, leading to his right eye swelling up. This required checks from the ringside doctor thrice before the last three rounds of the fight. In the 12th round, Barrios wrapped up the fight with flair, landing a precise counter left hook on Ugas’ swelling eye, knocking him down for the second time. Struggling to stay in the fight, Ugas’ mouthguard came out on two occasions, leading referee Tom Taylor to dock a point before the concluding bell. With this prominent victory at 147 pounds, Barrios is eyeing more significant fights in the welterweight division.
“I’m aiming higher, targeting the primary WBC title,” shared Barrios. “I’m aware of the hurdles. I’ll huddle with my squad to deliberate on the forthcoming steps.”
The nimble agility and calculated aggression of Barrios created a concoction that seemed a tad too piquant for Ugas to handle. It was a boxing ballet with Barrios dictating the tempo, dancing around a narrative of power and precision. The fighters exchanged a series of respectable blows, with the spectators at the edge of their seats, wondering who would land the next, more significant hit.