On the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard, Mexican-American warriors Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos put on a heck of a show; going the distance in a truly fabulous back-and-forth war for the ages.
The brutal 12-rounder swung one way, then the other, and then back again, with Mario Barrios ultimately retaining his WBC welterweight title via a razor-close split draw.
Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos go the distance in unbelievable 12-round war
Heading into the boxing showcase at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas this evening, WBC welterweight title challenger Abel Ramos was a +800 underdog to reigning king Mario Barrios, but no one told him that.
Whilst Barrios was able to dominate the opening five rounds or so, scoring a knockdown in round four, Ramos’ persistence paid off as the fight reached the halfway point and the momentum began to shift.
Ramos was able to rock and drop the champion with two stunning hooks as the title clash entered the sixth, followed by a clean shot again just as Barrios was going down.
Yet in the brutal world of professional boxing, it’s in those moments when championship mentality and experience pay dividends – with Barrios able to recover before putting the pressure back on Ramos through until the final bell.
“For those of you watching boxing for the first time in a long time, you are being treated to what championship action is all about,” stated the commentary desk as both athletes hugged it out in the ring.
“Many people thought that these two would never be able to fight at the highest level after all of their losses but wow!”
“The crowd is on their feet in this stadium, this is insane,” hailed Rosie Perez, with Roy Jones Jr simply celebrating the contest for what it was: “What a fight!”
With one knockdown a piece, it was down to the judges to determine who’d done enough to get their hand raised… But even they couldn’t come to a decision, with the totals ultimately reading 114-112 Ramos, 116-110 Barrios, and 113-113 even.
Barrios retains his WBC welterweight title with the split draw. Speaking to Ariel Helwani after the judges’ scorecards were announced, Barrios acknowledged just how close of a contest it had been.
“I know it was a close fight, and Abel was going to come at me with everything, I was finding success in the early rounds, but he made the adjustments to make it a war.
“Hats off to him, it was a hell of a performance… The fight stayed as close as it did, he’s a puncher and he definitely can crack – he hit me with something that I didn’t even see, I don’t know what it was but hey, that’s boxing.”
Ramos would also echo those words.
“It was a great fight for the fans just like we promised… There was no need to trash talk each other – when you get two Mexican warriors like us, you’re going to get action-packed, guaranteed.”
Could we see Ramos and Barrios throw down again in 2025? Maybe – the reigning champion seemed open about the possibility of running it back after a few months to rest and recover.
“I’ll sit down with my team, and we’ll decide what’s next. If we do run it back, I know it’ll be another hell of a fight… We’ll see what’s next.”