Welterweight Mario ‘El Azteca’ Barrios 27-2 (18) got back in the win column with an eighth-round stoppage of Jovanie ‘El Lobito’ Santiago 14-3-1 (10) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday night.
The bout was the main support fight on Showtime’s telecast of the vacant WBC super featherweight championship between two-weight world champion Rey Vargas and O’Shaquie ‘Ice Water’ Foster.
Fighting on home turf for the first time since 2020, the 27-year-old Mexican-American dominated Puerto Rican Santiago, 33, from the opening bell and never let up the pressure.
Working behind a stiff jab, Barrios dictated the range as he set up right hands to the head and left hooks to the body. At six-foot tall Barrios was able to back up his much shorter opponent, who never stopped trying but was always up against it both in the size and skills department.
Round after round Barrios broke Santiago down until a left to the body in the eighth saw him wilt to the canvas. Although he beat the count, Santiago would not last much longer. Within a minute, his corner called for a halt to the contest as Barrios battered him around the ring. The time of the stoppage was 1:42.
“The future looks bright for us, and I’m just real excited for the next few years,” said Barrios, who is coached by The Ring magazine’s Trainer of the Year, Bob Santos.
“I had to get physical. That’s one thing we worked on in the gym. I knew Santiago was coming with it, he took this fight in my backyard, that says a lot about him. He’s a hell of a warrior, I tip my hat to him, but I came in here and took care of business.”
It was Barrios’ first victory in almost two-and-a-half years following back-to-back losses to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis at junior welterweight and Keith Thurman at welterweight.
“I feel like I’m up there with the elite, but that’s for me to prove. I’ve never been a talker,” Barrios added.
Prior to the fight, Barrios spoke about returning to work with coach Santos.
“I have relocated my training camp to Las Vegas, Nevada and am back working with Bob Santos,” Barrios said. “It’s been a change of pace and coming off a bit of a lay-off after some really big fights, it’s been refreshing resting my mind and body after two hard camps back-to-back.
“The change is one I think that’s going to elevate my career these next few years because I’ll be training in the fight capital of the world.”
Barrios is now back in the mix for a world title shot.
“A win puts me in the position I want to be in, which is competing for a world title,” Barrios said before the fight. “A lot of titles have become vacant as of late and I think with a strong showing I could get in the mix with any of the world champions in the division.”
