Mario Barrios won the belt against Yordenis Ugas in 2023, before defending it against Fabian Maidana in his first successful defense.
However, his second title defense was on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight. This was an all-out war with a top contender, which saw both men left bloody and battered after a 12-round brawl.
Mario Barrios went to war with Abel Ramos in one of the best fights on the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul undercard
Barrios’ last fight before his July 19 clash with Pacquiao was a WBC Welterweight title defense against a much lower-profile opponent.
He faced off against Abel Ramos, a lesser-known American fighter with an impressive record of 28 wins and 6 losses, with 22 knockouts.
However, his fight with Ramos would not end in a KO, although fans had plenty to talk about during the fight.
Barrios came out of the blocks on November 15, 2024, to stun Ramos early, a big hit seeing him buckle and almost fall to the floor, although he managed to survive until the end of the round.
The second round started much the same before a slick combination by Barrios sent Ramos crashing to the floor, threatening to end the fight right there. However, Ramos made it to his feet, and Barrios failed to capitalize on his early dominance.
The rest of the rounds were anyone’s to take, with Ramos slightly edging the final ten. Despite being smaller than Barrios, he fought aggressively, taking some big hits from the champion and firing back some of his own.
Ramos dropped Barrios in the sixth round before the pair traded shots for the final bouts, turning the fight into an all-out brawl with both men aiming to win via knockout, not sure if they’d done enough to win the bout.
As it turns out, neither of them had. The judges scored the fight a draw, being unable to separate the two warriors. Barrios retained his belt because of the draw, although Ramos will likely want a rematch once the Pacquiao fight is over and done with.
Stamina could be an issue for Mario Barrios when he fights Manny Pacquiao
The main issue with Barrios in his fight with Ramos was his lack of stamina, as he struggled to keep the pace up for the entire twelve rounds.
That could prove to be a problem when he takes on Pacquiao, a man known for his unrelenting aggression in the boxing ring.
“Pac-Man” has gone all twelve rounds in ten of his last eleven fights, winning the majority of them by unanimous decision from the judges.
While he is now 46 and stats show Pacquiao is no longer the boxer he once was, recent footage shows him looking as impressive as ever in a public training session.
If his stamina is still there, then Pacquiao will be a tough match for the world champion. If Barrios’s stamina is not, then he will struggle going long against an all-time legend.
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