BARRIOS DROPS UGAS TWICE EN ROUTE TO A DOMINATING UD VICTORY
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 01 Oct 2023
Mario Barrios sculpted a signature win over grizzled veteran Yordenis Ugas in one of the featured fights of the Canelo-Charlo undisputed supermiddle championship at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) on Showtime pay-per-view.
Barrios scored a flash knockdown in the second round before dominating Ugas in the second half of the fight to capture WBC Interim world welterweight title. Judges scores: Tim Cheatham 117-108, Chris Flores 118-107 and Steve Weisfeld 118-107 all in favor of Barrios.
Round 1: The opening round saw both fighters feeling each other out. Yordenis Ugas, hailing from Santiago de Cuba and now residing in Miami, Florida, utilized his jab to target Mario Barrios, who responded with quick combinations. It was a cautious start to a high-stakes bout.
Round 2: In the second round, both fighters continued to probe for openings with their jabs. Ugas, known for his body punching, started targeting Barrios' midsection as Barrios looked for opportunities to counter. With just one minute remaining in the round, Barrios surprised the crowd by landing a perfectly timed jab to the chin that dropped Ugas in an unexpected turn of events.
Round 3: The momentum shifted in favor of Barrios in the third round. He applied pressure, throwing a barrage of lefts and rights as Ugas, realizing the urgency of the situation, increased his work rate. Ugas managed to connect with some hard punches in the latter half of the round, keeping the contest competitive.
Round 4: Round four witnessed both fighters opening up with double jabs. Barrios used his jab to control the distance, while Ugas continued to target the body. The fight heated up as both fighters exchanged powerful shots, with Ugas landing a straight right followed by another effective right.
Round 5: In the fifth round, Barrios maintained his jab to control the distance as Ugas unleashed his power shots, looking to gain an advantage.
Round 6: Barrios connected with a solid right to the body in the sixth round, momentarily backing up Ugas. Ugas responded with a two-punch combination to the body, and the fighters engaged in measured exchanges as Ugas countered effectively.
Round 7: The seventh round didn't feature fast-paced action but saw a give-and-take battle by both fighters. Ugas managed to connect with a left to the body followed by a right to the head, while Barrios held his ground, leading to a back-and-forth round.
Round 8: Barrios began the eighth round with a three-punch combination and a flurry of punches. Ugas countered with a left hook to the body and a right to the head, making it a competitive round.
Round 9: Barrios started the ninth round aggressively, maintaining a busy pace. Both fighters measured their punches, with Barrios slightly edging out Ugas in terms of connected punches.
Round 10: Before the start of the tenth round, the ring physician checked Ugas's eye, which had sustained damage from previous rounds. Barrios took control of the fight, with Ugas struggling due to the injury.
Round 11: Ugas's right eye continued to close, prompting additional checks by the ring physician before the start of the eleventh round. Barrios targeted Ugas's injured eye and delivered a relentless four-punch combination. Ugas showed remarkable resilience but was visibly affected, and Barrios managed to hurt him with a flurry toward the end of the round.
Round 12: Before the final round began, the ring physician checked Ugas's injured eye once more. Barrios seized the opportunity, dropping Ugas early in the round. Ugas clearly struggled, and his mouthpiece fell to the canvas. He momentarily stopped the action to replace it, but he spit it out again. Referee Thomas Taylor intervened, deducting a point from Ugas for spitting out his mouthpiece. Barrios continued to apply pressure as Ugas fought on despite his struggles. The round ended with Barrios throwing flurries, and Ugas managed to survive on his feet.
Mario Barrios improved his record to 28-2-0, 18KOs and position himself to fight for another world title. Ugas, at 37, will have to think deep before lacing his gloves again as he dropped to 27-6-0, 12KOs.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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