LAS VEGAS – Mario Barrios Jnr knows the history lesson of the scorn aimed at heavyweight champion Larry Holmes when he pummeled the legend Muhammad Ali into submission, forever squashing his title hopes.
Is Barrios, 30, up for the disdain should he do the same to 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao on July 19?
“I’m already getting a shitload of backlash, but it comes with the territory,” Barrios told reporters Saturday at the news conference for their Prime Video fight coming to Las Vegas.
San Antonio’s Barrios, 29-2-1 (18 KOs), a former secondary champion at 140lbs, made his way here by piling up undercard victories on cards for which “no one was in the stands,” and he appreciates how coming through as the favorite to defeat Manny Pacquiao will raise his profile in a glamour division starving for big names.
He said the idea of fighting Pacquaio was first broached to him in November, when he survived with a draw to retain his belt against Arizona’s Abel Ramos in the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul co-main event.
With Pacquiao getting inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame next week and seeking to join heavyweight George Foreman and light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins as the only world champions 45 or older, Barrios said he maintains deep respect for the record eight-division champion.
“Manny’s still Manny. He’s a legend for a reason,” Barrios said. “I’m preparing as if I’m fighting a prime Manny. It’s my job to go in there and defend my title. I’m expecting one of the best versions of Manny. It’s another step in my career to reach for those big fights – with a name like Manny on my resume.”
Barrios said it’s imperative to not get caught up in the thrill of meeting a legend whose pay-per-view fights Barrios watched as a child.
“That’s the main thing: Go in there and not let him get his rhythm going,” Barrios said. “I’m not going to take rounds off; [I’ll] work on our game plan.”
If it takes battering the former champion, Barrios said he’s up for the task.
“Maybe,” he said. “That’s not my goal – it’s business. It’s kill or be killed in there.
“He’s not going to feel sorry for me in there. He wanted this fight. OK, man, it’ll be an honor to step in there against a legend. But I’m going in there defending my title. Any other fighter in my division would be happy to get this fight. I need to do what I do best.”
Barrios indicated there’s a tinge of insult in knowing Pacquiao and his advisors have pursued Barrios as an opponent they believe is suited for Pacquiao to defeat.
“Yeah, he asked for this fight,” Barrios said. “He felt my style was perfect for him, but I think he’s in for a rude awakening on fight day. I can’t wait for everyone to see that.
“My job is to be victorious and successful, and I have full confidence in my team and what we’re doing. If I go in there and handle business, it’s only going to make my next fights bigger.”
Beyond the incentive of that is the almost chilling detail that Barrios provided when he was asked which of Pacquiao’s fights was most memorable to him, and he revealed he was a huge fan of Juan Manuel Marquez.
“And the way that fourth fight ended …” Barrios said.
In that unforgettable sequence, Pacquiao was knocked out cold, face-first on the canvas, and was briefly motionless before coming to his senses.
Nearly 13 years later, Pacquiao will return to box a young titleholder who took delight in the scene.
Perhaps Pacquiao wasn’t aware of that when choosing Barrios, but in this bout drenched with intrigue, the detail makes the match all the more riveting.
Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.