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Mario Barrios

Mario Thomas Barrios (born May 18, 1995) is an American professional boxer who held the World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion since June 2024. He also previously held the World Boxing Association (WBA) (Regular version) super lightweight title from 2019 to 2021.

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.

Move up to 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.

Their bout took place at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on 5 February 2022, with their fight also serving as a WBC welterweight world title eliminator.

And after 12 rounds of boxing, Barrios lost a clear unanimous decision with scores of 117–111 and two scores of 118–110.

WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title

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 11 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 seven tough-fought rounds that saw both fighters unwilling to give the other the upper hand, in the eighth round, 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 bull-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 an under-card fight for the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Jermell "Iron Man" Charlo pay-per-view bout on 30 September, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

Coming into the fight, Barrios was deemed by a wide consensus as the (5-1) underdog due to the majority of the boxing world still considering him to be untested in the welterweight division whereas his scheduled opposition, Ugás, was not only a very decorated amateur fighter and former boxing Olympian, but also a long-time welterweight who had already faced and fought elites in the division such as Thomas "The Frenchman" Dulorme, (former) two-time welterweight champion Shawn "Showtime" Porter, boxing's only (thus far) eight division champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, and (former) unified welterweight champion 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 battering and even 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 his favor. What's more, back in the 12th and final round of their fight, Ugás was deducted a point for intentionally spitting out his mouth piece-- which is illegal -- twice so that referee Thomas Taylor would pause the fight and buy him some time to recuperate.

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

Barrios vs. Maidana

On the 4th of May, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Barrios would go on to make the first defense of his WBC (Interim) Welterweight Title against Argentina's own heavy-handed Fabian "TNT" Maidana. Their fight also served as the Co-Main event of the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs Jaime Munguia pay-per-view bout. After dropping his opponent in the 3rd round, fighting through a swollen right eye, and hunting down a tentatively defense-minded Maidana in the later rounds, Barrios won the fight by way of unanimous decision (116-111x3).

(WBC) Championship Elevation

On the 27th of May, 2024, the World Boxing Council officially demoted Terence "Bud' Crawford from being their welterweight champion to their welterweight "champion in recess" due to the uncertainty of him ever coming back down to the Welterweight Division after his fight with Israil "The Dream" Madrimov for the WBA Super-Welterweight and the WBO Interim Super-Welterweight titles.

22 days thereafter, on the 18th of June, 2024, the World Boxing Council and its Board of Governors voted to elevate their welterweight interim champion, Mario Barrios, to full-fledged champion. And with that done, Barrios is now formally recognized as the WBC Champion of the Welterweight Division.