Mario Barrios makes his ring return on Saturday, February 11 at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas where he faces Puerto Rico’s Jovanie Santiago. The scheduled for ten rounds welterweight bout serves as the co-feature on the card topped by Rey Vargas up against O’Shaquie Foster live on Showtime. Ahead of the event former world champion shared insights into his training camp with trainer Bob Santos.
San Antonio’s own Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 KOs) is a former WBA super lightweight champion. The 27-year-old made his welterweight debut last February when he dropped a unanimous decision against former unified world champion Keith Thurman. In June 2021 he was stopped by Gervonta Davis in the eleventh round and lost the 140-pound belt.
Barrios’s most recent win goes back to October 2021 back in Alamodome, where he TKO’d Ryan Karl in the sixth round.
“I’m always excited to give my fans back home an entertaining fight,” Mario Barrios said. “I love where I’m from and I’m always proud to step in the ring representing San Antonio. I’m very thankful for another opportunity to fight in front of the San Antonio fans. It’s going to be an explosive night of boxing and I’m promising an action packed fight.”
‘I think people will see everything I’ve been working on come fight night’
After the defeat against Thurman, Barrios reunited with his former trainer Bob Santos. The latter recently trained Hector Luis Garcia and Alberto Puello to world titles against “Tank” Davis and Batyr Akhmedov, respectively.
“I have relocated my training camp to Las Vegas, Nevada, and am back working with Bob Santos. 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.
“I think a lot of fighters lose motivation once they have fought on pay-per-view, but being around so many fighters who are in their prime at the Pound4pound boxing gym out here has been pushing me every day. I am thrilled with how the camp has gone, and I think people will see everything I’ve been working on come fight night. I also have my sister Selina working in my corner as well. We started this sport together and I’m thankful to still have her input in the corner. Everything has been great leading up to this fight.”
‘My goal right now is to become a two-time world champion’
Talking about Jovanie Santiago, Barrios said: “I think he’s a quality fighter. He had a close fight with Adrien Broner that many say he should have won. I thought he struggled with Gary Antuanne Russell, but Gary is a great fighter. I personally think Santiago is a guy that if you take him lightly, he can make you look bad. In no way am I intending to disrespect him, but I am going to show why I have been featured on two pay-per-view main events and am a former world champion. This fight is about me ending this lay off and proving that I am at a different level, and a threat in this division. I think you will see a clear separation between us in this bout.”
As for his goal, Barrios is looking to once again win a world title.
“A win puts me in the position I want to be in, which is competing for a world title. 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. My goal right now is to become a two-time world champion, and that is what I am set on doing. A win essentially gives me that next step to get close to a title eliminator or the bigger names in the welterweight division. I want to perform in a way that makes my city and my team proud and continues to make the networks want to see me in bigger fights.”
In the main event undefeated two-division world champion Rey Vargas faces O’Shaquie Foster for the vacant WBC super featherweight title. The telecast opener pits Lenier Pero (8-0, 5 KOs) and Viktor Faust (11-0, 7 KOs) in a ten-rounder at heavyweight.
In Australia, Vargas vs Foster fight card airs live on Sunday, February 12.
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