Former Unified Welterweight World Champion Keith Thurman will fight former Super Lightweight World Champion Mario Barrios in a WBC Welterweight Semi-final Elimination Match this Saturday, February 5, at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, from Las Vegas, Nev.
Thurman rose to the top of the sport with memorable victories over Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia. His first loss came against legendary champion Manny Pacquiao, in one of the best fights of 2019, and now the 33-year-old fighter is keen to pick up his successful momentum against Barrios.
“My promoters wanted to get me back in the ring in 2020. They offered me a rematch against Pacquiao, in the studio and with no fans. After the Pacquiao fight, I just wasn’t excited to come back without fans. I love my fans. I love the sport of boxing. He could have done it for the activity and maybe, in hindsight, it would have been nice to be in the ring. But even if the activity had been good, the excitement was not attractive. He was financially stable, didn’t need the money, and wanted to put on meaningful performances and meaningful fights in the welterweight division. This 2022 has presented more opportunities for me and my career; at 33, I’m young, willing and able, and it’s time to come back,” Thurman said.
Mario Barrios, 26 (26-1, 17 KOs), will make his welterweight debut. Barrios is coming off losing against three-division champion Gervonta Davis in June in a thrilling fight.
“Although Thurman has been out of the ring for a couple of years, I know he has been training hard for this fight and he will be in great shape. He has been one of the best fighters of our era and I expect him to be at his best. I know what needs to be done on my end and I think I can execute the prefect fight plan. We both like to let our hands go, so fans can definitely expect to see an explosive fight on February 5th,” said Barrios.
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