LAS VEGAS – Mario Barrios never stopped trusting the process.
The 30-year-old San Antonio continues to extract an extraordinary amount of notoriety from his WBC welterweight title reign. His current run includes back-to-back appearances on Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-headlined Pay-Per-Views, an undercard slot on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Netflix event and now his own main event against comebacking ring legend Manny Pacquiao.
“These are the fights that will be talked about long after I retire,” Barrios told BoxingScene after a press conference to formally announce his July 19 clash with the former eight-division titlist. “The fact that I’m going in there to defend my WBC world title against a legend is a great honor.”
Barrios-Pacquiao will headline a PBC on Prime Video PPV from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Both fighters met the press and then each other during a May 31 press conference at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, down the road from their forthcoming showdown. Barrios, 29-2-1 (18 KOs) was humble and appreciative as ever, as he’s always remembered the road that led him to this point.
He had the fortune of turning pro in his San Antonio hometown, deep on the undercard of a Golden Boy show on Fox Sports 1 in November 2013. He gradually made his way up the running order, though there was still a common theme through his first 15 or so fights – near-empty arenas and still-arriving crowds well before the most significant bouts of the evening.
“It’s wild to look back at those fights, when I was fighting with practically nobody in the arena,” Barrios recalled. Now I’m headlining a PPV against Manny Pacquiao. I never take these moments for granted.”
Barrios’ first headlining act came in a July 2016 win over Devis Boschiero atop a PBC on ESPN card from Trenton, New Jersey. He’s been a regular TV fixture since 2017 and ultimately punched his way onto the title stage with a September 2019 decision win over then-unbeaten Batyr Akhmedov in a terrific fight.
Barrios’ reward that night was a secondary version of the WBA junior welterweight title.
It was enough of a bargaining chip to land what was a career-best payday at the time against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in his second attempted title defense. Their June 2021 Showtime PPV headliner resulted in Barrios’ first defeat, an eleventh-round knockout to end his reign.
His other loss came one fight later. Barrios moved up to welterweight where he dropped a unanimous decision to a comebacking Keith Thurman atop a February 2022 Fox Sports PPV show in Las Vegas.
Three wins and a draw have followed, the run which has seen a considerable spike in his public profile. Gone are the days where he fights before the fans are in attendance. His draw with Abel Ramos last November was part of Netflix’s first ever live boxing event.
Even though he left the ring without a win, Barrios has experienced a fanbase he never knew existed.
“Fighting on Netflix took things on a different level,” Barrios admitted. “I have fans around the world, just random countries who are now in my DMs all the time. I’ve had people from Canada, Brazil, even from India always messaging me. It’s crazy where that show took me.”
Barrios hasn’t fought since that night, though there was the sense that another big fight was on the horizon.
There had to be, since nearly every top welterweight has called for him by name.
A fight with Pacquiao, 62-8-2 (39 KOs), however, has been rumored for more than a year. Naturally, it required a return to the ring for the iconic Filipino southpaw.
Pacquaio hasn’t fought since an August 2021 defeat to Yordenis Ugas.
His extended absence lasted long enough to make his way to the voting ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Pacquiao was elected on the first try and will be officially enshrined this weekend.
Six weeks later, he will attempt to become the first elected Hall of Famer to win a major title. That storyline adds to his return at 46 and the name value he still carries – which can only work in Barrios’ favor, from a recognition perspective.
“Even in life after Netflix, we still have these things going on,” stated Barrios. “I think this fight also has that type of global exposure, just because of Pacquiao’s name.
“When you’re talking boxing around the world, people always mentioned Manny’s name. Now, they’ll be mentioning my name right along with his.”
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .