MARIO’S WORLD
ready for this fight, and each day I am away from her motivates me more.” His daughter, Metztli, a name derived from Barrios’ Aztec heritage, will be 18 months old when the Garcia fight takes place. Barrios’ motivation to provide for her is based as much in a tragic past as it is the present. When Barrios was just seven weeks old, his father, Mario Sr., was incarcerated for murdering Barrios’ 1-year-old sister Esperanza, who died from a lacerated heart caused by an impact blow to the chest. Mario later channeled his rage into fighting, which he learned from his older sister Selina. In October 2020, Mario Sr. was released from prison. “That’s why this fight is so important to me, because I’m going to be a father to my daughter since my father was
draws, Barrios admits there was “a little headbutting going on in the corner.” After training early in his career with Santos, Barrios went to Virgil Hunter, then returned to Santos, The Ring’s 2022 Trainer of the Year. In Barrios’ last two fights, Santos was joined in the corner by Richard Barrientes, the father of twin prospects Chavez and Angel Barrientes. Barrios was receiving conflicting directions. In the sixth round of the Ramos fight, he pulled back with his right hand down. That’s when Ramos floored him. It was the third time in his career he’d tasted the canvas, having been knocked down twice in the Davis fight. “I was sitting there with my team, Luis and Bob, and we decided a change of scenery and a change of coach would be good,” said Barrios. “I’m very
familiar with Joe, who knows me from earlier in my career from commentating on a lot of my fights. I knew a lot of fighters Joe trained. “Early on, I went with Virgil Hunter and saw a lot of progress. Then I moved to Vegas and worked with Bob and Richard Barrientes and definitely felt I had a lot of growth there. Now I am with Joe, who I plan to be with these next couple of years, during a part of my career where I plan on doing as much as I can. I want to end this part of my career with grace. Joe will bring out the best in me.” Goossen, who briefly served as
trainer for Garcia in 2022 and 2023, says he did not feel he had to fix anything in Barrios’ arsenal; he wanted to add to it. When Goossen asked Barrios how many rounds he did on the heavy bag, jumping rope, pounding the double-end bags, the weave bag, the speed bag, Barrios answered half of what Goossen was putting him through.
kitchen,” said Santos. “There has to be a protocol in the corner. You have one head coach and he is the only one who speaks up.” Santos, who has one of the best reputations in boxing, stepped aside to place Barrios in the best position to win. That meant going to Goossen, Santos’ mentor.
will never leave. Mario Barrios is a real fighter, and there has to be another real fighter across the ring to upstage him. There are not many out there. “The names on Mario’s resume who have beaten him are some bad motor scooters: Keith Thurman and Tank Davis. Mario is a scalp who looks good on anyone’s resume. They think he’s
What surprised Goossen is how large Barrios is: six feet tall with a 71-inch reach. The other shock was Barrios’ power – and that he apparently wasn’t using it. His last KO victory came against Jovanie Santiago in February 2023. For Garcia to respect Barrios, Barrios is going to have to come with some hurt in his fists.
soft until he hits someone up on the side of the head. Their opinion changes. We can relate. Devin doesn’t get any respect. No one came back from what Devin did. We’re back on top. We just have to get Rolly Romero to stop ducking. Ryan Garcia better not underestimate Mario Barrios.” Who knows what kind of
“People want to see me as an easy mark, great; it gives me more opportunities. But once we are in that ring and they want to look at me like that, that is their mistake.”
The last fighter to defeat Barrios was Keith Thurman in 2022.
Goossen has tried to cover the gamut: judging distance, getting under punches and working shorter punches. Goossen believes in building his fighters from the feet up. Defense has been an emphasis. He wants Barrios’ hand placement and elbow positioning to be second nature by the time he fights Garcia – parts of his game that were obviously faulty in the Ramos fight. “We did things in steps,” Goossen said. “I didn’t realize how hard Mario hit, and how big he is, and not because he is heavy, but because he is tall and broad-shouldered. He will be hitting much harder when things are said and done. I will guarantee that. It is always good to have another eye looking at you. “You increase any fighter’s confidence with additional weapons. Mario Barrios is the world welterweight champion. I don’t want to invent the wheel here. You want to learn something new as frequently as you can. I commend Mario on wanting to get better. World champions at this stage of their careers think you cannot teach them anything new. We made Mario think.” It’s been drill, drill, drill – and most importantly, it was coming from one voice. “Sometimes, with too many coaches, there are too many cooks in the
“When I was with Barrios in San Antonio, I could see a sense of relief in him,” Santos said. “When I spoke to Joe about that, I told him, ‘I can see the kid really feeling alive again.’ Once I saw that, I knew we made the right move. I have no doubt in my mind Mario could beat Ryan Garcia. The question is: Will you get your head right, and are you willing to pay the price to get it done? Mario needed to refocus. It’s why it is encouraging. He also has to hear from one voice. He is now.” From a distance, Bill and Devin Haney are watching. Devin is coming off a master class performance in taking the WBO welterweight title from Brian Norman Jr. in November. A Barrios victory could set up a unification fight with Haney, and a Garcia victory would get the wheels spinning for the rematch Devin has wanted since their April 2024 fight. “Mario gets underestimated, and it is what Pacquiao thought, and he got caught,” said Bill Haney, Devin’s father, trainer and manager. “Garcia thinks he is going to blow Mario out of the water. But if Mario tries to match speed with Garcia, he is going to come up short. Mario is a good guy who doesn’t say too much. He has been in wars. It causes people to think he has nothing left, and he keeps coming back. Mario
fighter Garcia is at this stage of his career: The dubious but aggressive version who showed up against Haney, or the hollow, listless fighter who showed up against Romero. Because of Garcia’s past, Barrios made sure extra measures were taken: Drug-testing began for the fight in early December. “I wanted a lot of testing and have been tested for the last five years. I have nothing to hide,” Barrios said. “When Garcia and his people wanted this fight, [the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association] was part of the deal. VADA had to be part of the deal. As soon as this fight was being talked about, there was no question VADA testing would be involved. It is part of the contract.” Goossen is certain that the boxing world is going to see a different Mario Barrios on February 21 against Ryan Garcia. “People can look at Mario as an easy mark,” Goossen said, “but sometimes in boxing, watch what you ask for. It might not be what it seems.” Joseph Santoliquito is an award- winning sportswriter who has been working for The Ring Magazine since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow @JSantoliquito.
not a father to me growing up,” Barrios said. “It took me a while, but I forgave my father. He never asked me for it. My father was a different man when he was drunk; that’s the version of him that I was angry with. “The whole thing taught me to provide. I know what it is like having people stare at you in a grocery line with food stamps. Since my daughter’s birth, I am a different man. I am a new man. My sister and I did not have a father for years, and I’m able to break the cycle that happened to us. Even in the short time my daughter has been alive, it is the best feeling in the world being a father, better than any feeling I ever had in boxing. I will answer the questions.” ADDRESSING THE CORNER ISSUE Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen started training Barrios the third week of November at the behest of Bob Santos, one of Barrios’ former trainers and currently his co- manager with Luis DeCubas Jr. In his last two fights, both
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