When it comes to facing the best of the best, Mario Barrios is always willing to do just that. During his 140-pound title reign, the secondary belt holder had no problem with taking on Gervonta Davis. Although he sauntered into their 2021 matchup as an underdog, Barrios fought well before losing via 11th-round stoppage.
Losing wasn’t the worst thing in the world for the 28-year-old. In actuality, he took it as a sign that the super lightweight division was now a thing of the past. So, with his body needing a reprieve, Barrios packed his bags and headed to the welterweight division.
Keith Thurman wasn’t the most gracious host in the world, beating him in his pro debut, but Barrios got back on track against Jovanie Santiago, stopping the longtime journeyman in the eighth round earlier this year. He’ll take a gigantic leap in competition later this month when he takes on Yordenis Ugas for the WBC interim title.
Winning, of course, is salient. But taking home an interim belt isn’t his biggest goal. Aggregating every world title at 147 pounds ultimately is.
“That’s ultimately the goal,” Barrios told FightHype.com during a recent interview. “To contend for not just one of the titles but all of them.”
Becoming an undisputed champion is the new trend in boxing nowadays. For Barrios, his pathway to achieving that goal is clear as day but also riddled with land mines.
Terence Crawford, 35, is currently the division’s only major champion. After slicing and dicing through Errol Spence Jr., Crawford became the first man in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion in two weight classes.
Now, the Omaha, Nebraska, native has options. He’s expressed his desire to move up to either 154 pounds or skip over several weight classes en route to the super middleweight division. Barrios though, hopes that Crawford opts to defend his undisputed throne.
If he does, and everything goes according to plan on September 30th, Barrios could see himself lining up on the other side of the ring with the pound-for-pound star.
“I think so, especially if he sticks around at 147.”