Barrios vs. Ramos Preview
The WBC welterweight title will be on the line at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Friday, November 15. Champion Mario Barrios will be making his first title defense against former WBA welterweight title challenger Abel Ramos.
Barrios (29-2, 18 KO) won the vacant WBC interim title in 2023 with a unanimous decision victory over Yordenis Ugas. He defended the interim belt in his last fight in May where he won a unanimous decision over Fabian Maldana. He has since been elevated to full champion and is looking to prove he belongs among the elite of welterweight champions.
The San Antonio native is ready for a war with Ramos. “I know both of us have been in there with world-class fighters, but I trust my abilities and power to carry over the whole 12 rounds,” Barrios said. “I’m preparing for a hard 12 rounds, but at any point I get him hurt or I see him fading, I’m going to do whatever I can to get him out of there.”
Barrios will be fighting on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight which will be streamed live on Netflix. How does he feel about the opportunity? “Boxing isn’t on Showtime no more (sic). It’s not on HBO. It’s going to these streaming platforms,” said Barrios. “If you bring them Netflix, it’s worldwide. Everybody knows what that is. Being a kid from San Antonio, to battle like that on Netflix, I’m very proud to go out there and represent our city, to defend the title, do whatever it takes to make sure it stays in San Antonio. Ultimately, it’s a great opportunity, which is why we took it. I’m pumped to go out there, just be myself, show the world what I bring every time I step in those ropes.”
Amid the chaos in the welterweight division, Barrios was elevated to full champion after then WBC champion Terence Crawford moved up to 154 pounds. He commented on being promoted. “No fighter wants to come across a world title in that manner. It’s just kind of where things are with boxing right now,” Barrios said. “Regardless, I became an elevated champion for a reason. I got myself into that position, all the work I put in, all the fights at welterweight, so I’m still very proud. Now it’s just my job to move forward, defend the belt as a champion and prove to everybody why I was the elevated champion for a reason.”
Earlier in the year Barrios was linked to a fight welcoming back boxing legend Manny Pacquiao but the deal could never get made. The champion knows what that fight would have meant for him. “The opportunity to step in there with a legend like that is huge,” Barrios said. “I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. The fact that Pacquiao and Barrios was even being mentioned: I couldn’t really even put it into words. The possibility (of) seeing this man across the ring from me, this other legend. Things fell through with negotiations, figuring the details out, but it’s still definitely a fight I would welcome.”
Barrios is also a former WBA super lightweight title holder and had one successful defense. He lost the title by TKO in a hard-fought battle with Gervonta Davis in 2021. Since then, he has refocused his career at welterweight and is looking to put on a show under the bright lights of AT&T stadium and Netflix.
With a win, the champion wants to fight Jaron Ennis who just successfully defended his IBF title on November. “He's been successful in his fights, but the boxing community can be relentless and hard to please sometimes,” said Barrios. “I think he might have been rushing it too much against Chukhadzhian. It doesn't change what Boots brings to the table as a fighter. He's still very dangerous and the biggest threat in the division. Sometimes we go in there and don't get the performance we're expecting. Boots can box and he can bang. We can fight 50 times and it can end differently every time. I'm going to do whatever it takes to be victorious against him.
Ramos (28-6-2, 22 KO) is 2-3 in his last five fights but is coming off a fifth round TKO victory in his last fight against Juan Ramon Guzman. While Ramos recent record might not show it, he has proven he is a tough out for any opponent having never been finished in 36 pro fights.
The 33-year-old fought for the vacant WBA regular welterweight belt in 2020 against Yordenis Ugas, where he lost by a razor thin split decision. Since then, he has proven to still have the championship hunger needed to grant him another shot at a title. The boxing world wanted to see Barrios welcome Pacquiao back to boxing, but now Ramos can spoil the future of that fight and have one of the biggest surprise victories of the evening in Texas.
Ramos talked about what this title shot means to him. "It's a dream that I had since I was a kid to become a world champion," Ramos said. "I'm taking this fight serious. I know Barrios is a great champion, but we're here to make that little kid's dream a reality."
He continued, "(Winning) would change my life forever,” Ramos said.
