Mario Barrios says he may have to put his 2025 plans on hold following an explosive split draw with Abel Ramos on Friday night.
San Antonio’s Barrios, 29, retained his WBC welterweight title despite failing to beat 33-year-old Ramos of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Judges scored the bout 114-112, 113-113, and 110-116 in a split draw.
The decision could force a rematch between Barrios and Ramos, but the former says he must decide on what to do next.
“I mean, I'll sit down with my team and we'll decide what's next,” Barrios told Netflix. “If we decide to run it back, I know it would be another hell of a fight but yeah, I have to take a time off as well with my daughter and then sit down with my team and we'll see what's next.”
Ramos, 28-6 (22 KOs), proved himself worthy of landing a shot at Barrios’ strap, dropping the champion in round six. Prior to the knockdown, Barrios had sent Ramos to the canvas in the second round.
Barrios, 29-2-1 (18 KOs), admitted to being affected by the punch that dropped him during the second half of the fight.
“He caught me with a shot that I didn’t see coming and I couldn't really find my rhythm how I wanted to after and then the fight ended up how it did. I had something for him. I was at the head of a performance.
“I knew Abel was going to come with everything. I knew I had a hard task in front of me. I was fighting successfully in the early rounds but we made the adjustments to wait for me to go to war.”
Barrios said he was content with the decision of the judges, describing the fight as a close contest and he praised Ramos for his performance.
“The fight is staying close at the dance and he's a puncher. He definitely can crack. He caught me with something that I didn't see. I still don't know what it was but that’s boxing.
“I prepared myself for a hard 12 rounds and that's exactly what I got today.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.
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