Fight Night: Sat, Feb 11, 2023 - Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Mario Barrios vs Jovanie Santiago

Former champion and all-action San Antonio-native Mario “El Azteca” Barrios ends his two-fight losing streak with a dominant eighth-round stoppage win over Jovanie Santiago in the welterweight co-main event.
Barrios vs Santiago Round by Round Fight Summary. Rounds are displayed numerically as columns. Each row will display one of the following: W for win, L for loss, KO for knockout, or TKO for technical knock out. An empty column means that data is not available.
Fighter Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Barrios No data available No data available No data available No data available
Santiago No data available No data available No data available No data available

Former champion and San Antonio-native Mario “El Azteca” Barrios snapped his two-fight losing streak with a razor sharp, career-rejuvenating performance against Jovanie Santiago in Saturday’s co-feature.

Amanda Westcott/SHOWTIME

Barrios dropped Santiago in the eighth round with a left to the body and followed up, causing referee Mark Calo-Oy, upon the request of Santiago’s corner, to stop the fight at 1:42 of the eighth of their welterweight contest scheduled for 10 rounds. Barrios led 70-63 on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
 
After Santiago (14-3-1, 10 KOs) touched the canvas for the fourth time of his career from the body shot, Barrios, who is back with top trainer Bob Santos, followed up with a straight right hand that snapped Santiago’s head back, causing his corner to step in. After losing his last two fights to top talents Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman, Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs) had his way with Santiago, who was also coming off back-to-back losses to Adrien Broner and Gary Antuanne Russell.
 
The CompuBox stats backed up Barrios’ dominance. The 27-year-old landed 90 more punches than the gutty Santiago, who actually out-threw Barrios by a single punch. Barrios landed 39 more jabs, 51 more power punches and looked super-charged throughout the fight, buoyed from the hometown crowd and his own desire to get back into the win column.
 
He hurt Santiago with a right hand a minute into the sixth round, causing Santiago to briefly sag into the ropes. Barrios stunned Santiago again with a left to the body and head moments later as Santiago looked battered, his right eye badly swelling. Barrios landed a lunging left hook to end the sixth as Santiago somehow remained on his feet. 
 
“It feels amazing,” Barrios said afterward. “It took me a while to get into that groove, to get that rhythm. I felt great. I wouldn’t say I was different [tonight], but definitely with a larger arsenal. I’m pretty thankful to have Bob [Santos] in my corner and my sister. I had to get just as physical. That’s another thing we have been working on in the gym. I knew Santiago was coming with it. And he took the fight in my backyard. That says a lot about him. He’s a hell of a warrior, I tip my hat to him.

“I felt myself breaking him down little by little. I just had to be patient. My counter right hand is something that we’ve been working on at the gym in Vegas. I feel I’m definitely up there with the [welterweight] elite. I still have something to prove. I promised my city a world title, and I got it in 2019 and I will do it again.”