Yordenis Ugas vs Mario Barrios fight breakdown
Yordenis "54 Milagros" Ugas goes head-to-head with Mario "El Azteca" Barrios in a statement fight
Former WBA World welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12KO) meets former WBA World super-lightweight titlist Mario Barrios (27-2, 18KO) for the Interim WBC welterweight title as the co-main event to Canelo-Charlo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 30.
Both fighters have shared the ring with the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Gervonta Davis and Errol Spence Jr, who are all regarded as elite world champions.
37-year-old Cuban Ugas took the boxing world by storm after his upset victory over boxing legend Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao in 2021. However, after setting sights on a unified world title challenge to Errol Spence in April 2022, he came up short in a fight that was competitive until it was called off by the ringside doctor in the 10th. Now he has his eyes set on the road back to the championship beginning with this comeback clash with Mexican Mario.
After two tough losses to triple champion Gervonta Davis and ex-WBC welterweight champion Keith Thurman, 28-year-old Barrios is on a roll after a KO victory over Jovanie Santiago where he showcased his durability, sharp punch placement and counters that inherently led to a brutal body shot which was followed by a flurry of punches to end the fight in the eighth.
September 30 will be a make-or-break fight for the Mexican-Texan. He's come up short twice when he has stepped up in competition and will want to prove that he belongs at the very top level. A victory in this fight will put him into contention with the other top contenders in the 147lbs division and find him in a better position to compete for world titles.
When we think of the Mexican style, we envisage a tough slugger, winging in spiteful body shots, and throwing punches in bunches, however "The Aztec's" counter punching and patience is underrated. It is one of the main reasons he can go deep into fights with elite level competition. The six-foot-tall San Antonian is also extremely durable and has exceptional cardio, which helps his exertive style as he likes to walk opponents down and catch them with sharp shots, he has exceptional power which lasts throughout the fight.
This was evident in his clash with Keith Thurman where he hurt the former champion in the eighth round in the middle of an exchange with a counter-left hook. This was also shown in his most recent fight against Santiago where he dropped him with a fight-ending body shot in the eighth round; a lot of his recent knockouts have occurred between rounds 6-8.
Barrios has shown that he can continue to walk towards powerful top-level opponents like Thurman, so it will be interesting to see if Ugas can keep the pressure-fighter at bay and what will happen if he can't.
Olympic bronze medallist Ugas isn't known for his power, however he fights out of Cuba, which is a country well known for it's boxing prowess, and prides itself on their 'Cuban style', which involves elite footwork, high-level skills and counter punching. This Ivy League education was not lost on the young talent, winning the World Championships in 2005, as well as silver and gold World Cup medals, and a gold at the World Cadet Championships in 2003.
In his last fight with Errol Spence Jr, the Cuban showed he had the ability to deliver fast counters in the middle of exchanges that gave the American some problems, even hurting him at times.
He also showcased superior skills in his notable victory over eight-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao where he counter punched the legend all night, catching hooks on his gloves and shooting shots to the body and head. Ugas doesn't mind a fight in the pocket, he's shown he can fight on the inside as well as on the outside, controlling the distance with his footwork and sharp right hand counters which have enough pop on them to keep opponents from just walking through. This will work in his favour against a come forward opponent like Barrios.
This will be a make or break fight for Ugas, who promises to be at 100 per cent for this upcoming contest and plans on staying in the welterweight division to take on all the top contenders.
"El Azteca" plans on this contest being a candidate for fight of the year and is looking forward to a situation where he can trade blow for blow.
Both men know what defeat tastes like, however, this is a fight neither man can afford to lose.
Betting Odds
Ugas is favourite to win at 1/5 with Betway Sports, while Barrios is the underdog at 7/2.
Predictions
Ugas' recent loss to Errol Spence was down to him being outworked and overwhelmed with well placed shots, however, Spence was exceptional that night and threw 784 punches, an extremely high volume, which is what he is known for. To beat Ugas you have to throw twice the number of shots he throws and overwhelm him otherwise he will counter punch you all night.
It's just a question of whether the Mexican can throw enough shots to make Ugas uncomfortable and neutralise his counter punching ability. Barrios threw 492 against Kieth Thurman which is nearly 300 punches less than Spence did against Ugas so for this fight he will need to be a lot busier.
Ugas has the boxing experience and education over Barrios, so that will be a key factor over the 12-rounds, because the veteran will know when to engage and when to preserve energy. His extensive amateur background and his 32 pro fights means he will have shared the ring with every style of boxing imaginable and will be able to adjust faster than Barrios to implement his game plan first.
However, Barrios is the younger man, with youth on his side and less mileage, so will be the fresher of the two, plus Ugas is coming off a loss, suffering a broken orbital bone, which could play on his mind.
If Barrios can aim for that potentially damaged right eye and land a solid shot, we may see Ugas withdraw and begin to be hesitant, and that's where Barrios can use his persistent, walk down style to place his shots and overwhelm the former champion.
Both boxers have been stopped before, so either man could hurt the other. Ugas only has one stoppage within his last five victories, so he is more likely to take this to the distance.
Heavy-handed Barrios has stopped two-thirds of his victims (18 from 27) and 10 of his last 11 wins have come by way of knockout.
Both were stopped recently in their careers – Ugas in 2022, Barrios in 2021 – but each time was very late on during the championship rounds (Ugas round 10, Barrios round 11), so I think whoever is the fresher man in those later rounds will be the one to come out on top.
Verdict
Ugas to win on points by unanimous decision.
Fun Fact: Ugas' nickname, 54 Milagros, comes from two people: "54" refers to baseball player – and best friend – Aroldis Chapman, who wears the number 54; and "Milagros" is the name of his mother.
Fun Fact: Mario has a sister, Selina Barrios, who was also an amateur and professional boxer, who went by a similar nickname, "Aztec Queen" and was an NABF lightweight champion.
Article sponsored by HÖRFA