Mario Barrios facts for kids

Mario Thomas Barrios (born May 18, 1995) is an American professional boxer who held the WBA (Regular) super lightweight title from 2019 to June 2021. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's ninth-best active super lightweight by The Ring.

Professional career

Barrios turned professional in 2013. On May 11, 2019, Barrios faced Juan Jose Velasco. Barrios got the KO win via a spectacular body shot in the second round.

WBA (Regular) super-lightweight champion

Barrios vs. Akhmedov

On September 28, 2019, Barrios was victorious against undefeated Batyr Akhmedov by unanimous decision, with scores of 114–112, 115–111, 116–111, to win the vacant WBA (Regular) super lightweight title in a tough contest on the undercard of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter, in which Barrios dropped Akhmedov twice in the fourth and twelfth rounds but took considerable punishment resulting in most of his face being swollen. The decision was considered controversial by many pundits and observers.

Barrios vs. Karl

On October 31, 2020 in front of his hometown crowd at Alamodrome in San Antonio, Texas on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Léo Santa Cruz, Barrios defended his WBA (Regular) title with a sixth-round technical knockout victory against Ryan Karl. In the sixth round, an accidental head clash caused a bad cut over Karl’s right eye, and blood poured down his face. After the cut was examined by the ringside doctor, the fight resumed and the two men immediately went hard after each other, until Barrios dropped Karl during with a pair of left hooks to the chin during a fierce exchange. As soon as Karl went down, the referee called off the fight at 2 minutes, 23 seconds. At the time of the stoppage, Barrios led 48–47, 49–46, 49–46 on the judges' scorecards.

Barrios vs. Davis

Barrios faced fellow undefeated Gervonta Davis on Showtime PPV on June 26, 2021 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Davis knocked Barrios down twice in the eighth round, and again in the eleventh round en route to an eleventh-round technical knockout victory, handing Barrios his first professional loss. At the time of the stoppage, Barrios was down 97–91 and 96–92 twice on the judges' scorecards.

Welterweight

Barrios vs. Thurman

After the loss to Davis, Barrios decided to move up a weight-class and challenge the former-unified (WBA and WBC) welterweight champion Keith "One Time" Thurman, who, like him, was coming off of a loss. And after 12 rounds of boxing, Barrios lost a clear unanimous decision with scores of 117–111 and two scores of 118–110.

Barrios vs. Santiago

A year after the second consecutive defeat of his professional boxing career, Barrios then faced puerto rican Jovanie "El Lobito" Santiago in a welterweight under-card fight for the O'Shaquie "Ice Water Shock" Foster vs Rey Vargas pay-per-view bout on the 11th of February, 2023, at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

The fight with Santiago was also for the then-vacant WBC Continental Americas welterweight title.

After eight tough-fought rounds that saw both fighters unwilling to give the other the upper hand, Barrios landed a wicked left hook to Santiago's liver that crumpled the puerto rican on the ropes.

Santiago managed to beat the 10-count and got back up on his feet, but, with blood in smelt in the air, Barrios rushed his obviously still-hurting opponent and began landing a barrage of combinations on him.

Seeing enough, Santiago's corner threw in the towel which prompted referee Mark Calo-Oy to stop the fight at 1:42 of the 8th round and thus making Barrios the victor of their fight by way of technical-knock-out and the new holder of the WBC Continental Americas welterweight title.

WBC interim welterweight champion

Barrios vs. Ugás

Seven months and a half after his victory over Santiago, Barrios clashed with former WBA (Super) welterweight title holder Yordenis "54 Milagros" Ugás for the then-vacant Interim WBC welterweight title. With their fight also serving as the co-main event feature of the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Jermell "Iron Man" Charlo pay-per-view bout on the 30th of September at T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

Coming into the fight, Barrios was deemed by a wide consensus as the (3-1) underdog due to being considered by the majority of the boxing world to still be untested in the welterweight division while Ugás was not only a very decorated amateur fighter, but also a long-time welterweight who had already faced and fought elites such as Thomas "The Frenchman" Dulorme, Shawn "Showtime" Porter, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, and Errol "The Truth" Spence Jr. just to name a few.

Much to the surprise of many, however, the odds were proven wrong on fight-night itself with Barrios dropping Ugás twice-- once in the second round and once again in the twelfth --en route to a unanimous decision victory over the Cuban with scores of 118-107 twice and 117-108 all in favor of Barrios.

And with the win, Barrios became the WBC Interim Champion of the welterweight division.

Professional boxing record

Personal life

Mario's sister Selina Barrios is also a professional boxer.

See also

In Spanish: Mario Barrios para niños

• List of world light-welterweight boxing champions