To Mario Barrios, fighting in front of his home crowd remains a special feeling, one that he adores.
San Antonio’s Barrios, 29, is billed to defend his WBC welterweight title against 33-year-old Abel Ramos of Phoenix, Arizona at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on November 15. The bout is part of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul undercard.
Barrios, 29-2 (18 KOs), is optimistic about his chances ahead of the bout.
“I’m a proud San Antonio native, and every time I fight here, I feel that extra support and energy from the crowd,” Barrios said during a media workout in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “Texas has some of the best boxing fans in the world, and it’s an honor to be defending my title in front of them.”
Barrios came back from two successive defeats to Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Keith Thurman to record three victories which earned him the WBC interim welterweight trinket in the process. Barrios was later elevated to full WBC champion status following Terence Crawford’s decision to challenge Israil Madrimov at 154.
The San Antonio native’s first title defense comes up against Ramos, 28-6-2 (22 KOs), who has two wins in his last five ring outings. According to Barrios, he’s ready to deal with any threat that Ramos brings to the fight.
“Defending my world title is a huge honor, and I know Abel Ramos is a tough opponent who always comes to fight. He’s experienced and dangerous, so I’m expecting a hard-fought battle. But I’m ready to show why I’m the champion and why this belt is staying with me.
“Training camp has been intense but great. We’ve been putting in a lot of hard work in Las Vegas, focusing on every detail to make sure I’m ready for anything Ramos brings. I feel strong, sharp, and more motivated than ever to put on a great performance.”
Ramos lost to Yordenis Ugas in September 2020, but managed to retire Omar Figueroa Jnr in six rounds eight months later. In his next two fights, he would go on to lose to Luke Santamaria and Cody Crowley. Last April, Ramos earned a fifth-round stoppage of Juan Ramon Guzman. The win over Guzman was enough to land Ramos a shot at Barrios’ title but the champ says he’s not ready to lose his belt.
“Fans can expect me to leave it all in the ring,” said Barrios. “I’ve been training to make a statement, and I’m going to give everything I have to keep this belt. Whether you’re watching live in AT&T Stadium or streaming on Netflix, you’re going to see an exciting fight and a champion determined to come out on top.”
Read the full article here
