Image courtesy of PremierBoxingChampions.com
There is a delicate art form to maturing a young boxer with world championship potential, as last week’s “PBC on ESPN” telecast revealed when Patryk Szymanski won a 10-round decision over one-dimensional former title challenger Wilky Campfort while Jamel Herring failed to get past incessant former title challenger Denis Shafikov. Tonight’s (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) main event on ESPN features a similar storyline as blue-chip prospect Mario Barrios takes on European warhorse and former world title challenger Devis Boschiero – Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey – from the in order to announce himself as a contender. The gradual but unavoidable elevation of opposition involves the erecting of appropriate size hurdles and if that is misjudged, it usually sets the perceived title hopeful back two years at a minimum. Boschiero represents Mario Barrios’ first major hurdle and will either mark the young Texan as a title threat or push him to the back of a very long junior lightweight waiting line.
Mario Barrios, 15-0 (8), is a freakishly angular junior lightweight who somehow squeezes a six-foot frame into a 130-pound package, using his long arms to throw whip-like punches that sting with every connect. Thanks to a jam-packed schedule, stopping five of seven opponents last year, Barrios’ maturation has been swift but there are serious misgivings as to whether he should be put in a title eliminator so early Barrios, for his part, remains singularly focused on this appearance and how to win. “This will be a great opportunity to showcase my talent to the world on ESPN. My biggest advantage is my height and my range. I want to control the fight from outside, use my range with my jab and just pick my spots.” Though he is a lanky operator, Barrios works the body rigorously, which is not the case typically with boxers who prefer to work their way from the outside in.
Few are surprised that Barrios is rapidly progressing to a title shot, given he was an amateur standout, registering over 100 victories and has three national PAL titles to his resume. He has been inside a ring since age seven, coming from a boxing family, though beguilingly he shared that passion with older sister Selina, who gave up boxing to attend college. Trained by his father, a professional world title was the main focus as he turned pro as soon as legally possible at age 18. Barrios modeled his style on Diego Corrales because they share a similar body type (given a more balanced defense-to-offense ratio, I would suggest Genaro Hernandez is a better fit) and he loved the excitement Corrales generated, though Barrios counts Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Oscar De La Hoya as his heroes. Barrios portrays a bit of both in interviews, as a ready smile cuts through strongly chiseled facial features and could help Barrios gain crossover appeal, given his genial personality.
The 21-year-old San Antonio native has been purposely fast tracked to a world title and a win over Boschiero puts him in position for a mandatory shot at IBF titleholder Jose Pedraza by this time next year. Team Barrios are giving themselves the best opportunity for victory, moving training camp from their usual haunt in San Antonio to Las Vegas for the first time, aimed at finding better sparring that includes former world champion Robert Guerrero. Barrios may need that edge, given this is his first scheduled 12-round bout and he has never been past the eight-round distance. If there is trepidation, Barrios is not letting on, “This is what I’ve worked my whole life for, to be fighting in main events on national television. I’m confident that I’ll be able to go the full 12 rounds if need be. My goal is to get the knockout though. I really want to make a statement in this fight.”
While Barrios’ unique body composition is a huge advantage inside the ring, it seems to have created an artificial time scale that may work against him, given this jump in level of opposition. Barrios even acknowledged the weight issue after his first victory of 2016, an eight-round test against trial horse Edgar Gabejan, as it seems an obvious dilemma. “The goal is to win a world title at 130 pounds. I’m still young enough that making weight is not a problem at the moment. I believe, with a few more fights, I’ll be ready to challenge any of the champions at super featherweight.” Barrios only fought twice this year but that is because two bouts fell out, through no fault of Barrios, with last-minute injuries and weight issues of opponents. Whether Barrios should be moved by biological or metabolic imperatives instead of ring progression will play out over the next year.
The immediate and overriding focus of Barrios can be seen in the gym, where he prepares to make foes adapt to the unique problems he presents. “All I know about Boschiero is that he’s got a lot of fights and he’s a top contender. I know he’s hungry, so I’m not taking him lightly. I’ve seen some tape on him and I know he likes to come forward. Everyone can expect to see a lot of hard punches being thrown by both of us. I’m expecting a war.” Barrios is conscious of and contemplated the tough neighborhood his weight class represents when asked about his future. “It’s a very tough division loaded with a lot of great fighters. I would say (WBO titleholder Vasyl) Lomachenko, Pedraza and (WBA titlist Francisco) Vargas are the top dogs for now. (Orlando) Salido is also up there. It’s one of the toughest divisions in boxing. A victory against Boschiero puts me right there to challenge for the title. I’m a hungry fighter and everyone will see that.”
That hunger and desire is necessary compensation for Barrios as Devis Boschiero comes in with 279 rounds of experience compared to 63 for Barrios. That is a similar scenario to last week’s ESPN upset when Jamel Herring could not deal with the smothering attacks of Denis Shafikov, who also held an advantage of nearly 200 rounds of added professional knowledge. Barrios will have to deal with that negative variable much better than Al Haymon stablemate Herring but Barrios has larger physical recompenses to ward off Boschiero than Herring did against Shafikov. On the mental side, Barrios will need to show more boxing acumen and self-control than Herring and not succumb to base macho instincts of brawling, to fight fire with fire, that led to Herring’s downfall.
As an experienced former WBC title challenger and former European champion, Devis Boschiero, 39-4-1 (21), is not afraid to travel the world for a fight, taking on English, French and Japanese champions in their backyards. A practiced pressure fighter from Italy, Boschiero lost his lone title challenge by split decision in 2011 and another European title challenge by split decision in France. Frustrated by judges, Boschiero’s last five victories have come by stoppage and he does not lack for confidence on any continent. “I plan on coming to America and putting on a great performance and bringing a great victory back to Italy. I look forward to making my American debut on July 9 in New Jersey. I know a win over Barrios will take me towards a world title shot.”
At the final press conference, Barrios showed respect for Boschiero before returning the press’ focus to his attributes. “I know (Boschiero) will have a lot of tricks up his sleeve. I’m expecting a tough fight. I just want to go out there and shine. I feel my style is explosive for television and I hope everyone enjoys what I bring to the table. Everyone will see a determined fighter in myself, who’s going to leave everything in the ring.” Tonight’s fight is about the present but Barrios sees it as a springboard to a title shot. “The time is now to take the super featherweight division by storm. A victory will put me one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming a world champion. I will not be denied.”
You can contact the Good Professor at martinmulcahey@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @MartinMulcahey.
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