Ugas and Barrios each scent the whiff of Victory

Not discarding a quality undercard on the Canelo vs. Charlo Super fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Cuban Yordenis Ugas and the North American Mario “Azteca” Barrios contest the interim welterweight title of the World Boxing Council.

Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) will return to action on September 30 for the first time since an April 2022 unification fight loss to Errol Spence Jr. on SHOWTIME PPV. He established himself as an elite welterweight after returning from a more than two-year layoff in 2016 following back-to-back losses in 2014. He punched his ticket as world champion in January 2021 after defeating Abel Ramos in September 2020.

He cemented his world champion status in August 2021, when he replaced an injured Spence to defeat legendary future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision. Hailing from Santiago, Cuba and now residing in Miami, Florida, the Olympic bronze medalist trains in Las Vegas with renowned trainer Ismael Salas and has victories over then-undefeated fighters Jamal James, Omar Figueroa Jr. and Bryant Perrella, in addition to veteran contenders Thomas Dulorme and Ray Robinson.

Barrios, 28 (27-2, 18 KOs), recently scored a sensational knockout over Jovanie Santiago in February stopping Santiago in the eighth round. Barrios’ previous fight was his welterweight debut, as he lost a close decision to former unified champion Keith Thurman in February 2022.

The San Antonio fighter became a 140-pound world champion in 2019, using his aggressive style to outpoint Batyr Akhmedov and win a unanimous decision. Barrios lost the super lightweight title in another highly competitive and action-packed fight, as he was defeated by five-time champion Gervonta Davis in June 2021.

This Friday both fighters passed the official weigh-in. Ugas weighed 147 pounds, while Barrios registered at 146.8 pounds.