The fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios has generated a lot of expectations. But not because of the welterweight world champion. No! Here the figure is the challenger, the Filipino. So let’s ask ourselves, who is Mario Barrios?
The pugilist is known as “El Azteca”. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, but his parents are Mexican and he always wears the tricolor flag on his clothes when he gets into the ring. He is fluently bilingual.
Mario Barrios’ record and recent fights.
Pacquiao’s rival is an orthodox, right-handed boxer with a good punch and good reach. He was born on March 18, 1995 in San Antonio, Texas and is 1.80 meters tall
He was the World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight world champion, when on September 28, 2019, he defeated Batyr Akhmedov by unanimous decision. But he lost that title on June 26, 2021, when he defended it against Gervonta Davis.
Since it was very difficult for him to make the weight, he decided to move up in category and has remained as a welterweight since then.
He was enthroned as the king of the category on September 30, 2023. To take the crown that day, he had to fight with Yordenis Ugas, the same man who defeated Pacquiao in 2021
He was the interim monarch at the time, but the World Boxing Council decided to remove the interim title and make him permanent. So now he is the consolidated king of that entity in the 147 pounds.
His record is impressive. He has a total of 32 fights, winning 29 of them, 18 by knockout, with two losses and one draw. He turned professional in 2013, after leaving the amateur sport
In the amateur ranks, he was a scourge with 73 victories and only three defeats, all under the direction of his stepfather, Martin Soto. He won the The Ring title three times and twice won the national Silver Gloves championship
In November 2024, he retained his current crown after a draw with Abel Ramos. In that fight, “El Azteca” demonstrated his ability to take punches and not lose his composure. He always remained focused and that is why he was able to weather the storm that his opponent represented
Who is Mario Barrios’ wife?
Mario Barrios has not reported having a family or being married. Nor is he publicly known to have a child
According to several media outlets, he was dating a Chinese woman named Jaden in 2019, but nothing more is known at the moment
When it comes to social media, El Azteca stays focused. He posts photos and short videos (reels) on his Instagram account with 217 followers (@boxer_barrios). He uses the same name for his X account (formerly Twitter), where he has more than 25,000 followers.
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