‘Tank’s ability to take away a taller guy’s jab was insane, Barrios surviving 8th was insane, this was all CLASS’: Davis vs Barrios FULL FIGHT 

Despite loss, San Antonio’s Mario Barrios elevates status as top-tier fighter

He started by thanking the State Farm Arena fans, who before the fight cursed and spat on him during his walk to the ring.

“You guys did not disappoint, man,” Mario Barrios shouted at the crowd. “I heard great things about this place. I look forward to coming back here and fighting again.”

Next, he congratulated his opponent, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who only moments earlier had knocked him down for a third time on the way to a convincing TKO victory.

“I’ve never been a hater,” Barrios said. “Congrats to Tank. He came in here and did his thing.”

Things did not go as planned for Barrios this past Saturday in Atlanta. He lost his WBA super lightweight title to Davis on the big stage, on Showtime Pay-Per-View, but he earned the respect of a whole new legion of followers afterward for his classy response in defeat.

“That didn’t surprise me at all,” said Stephen Espinoza, Showtime’s president of sports and event programming. “I know he wanted to win, but he only elevated himself with his performance.

“He came out on the short end yet was composed enough to be gracious and grateful in his postfight comments. That says a lot about him as a young man.”

‘Biggie’ upset in Las Vegas bout
San Antonio bantamweight Robert “Biggie” Rodriguez (9-1-1, 5 KOs) fell from the unbeaten ranks this past Saturday night when he was upset by Luis Fernando Saavedra (9-6, 3 KOs) of Mexico.

Rodriguez lost a unanimous decision by scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55. The six-round bout was part of the Vasyl Lomachenko-Masayoshi Nakatani undercard at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

In other boxing news, San Antonio super featherweight Henry Arredondo (7-1, 4 KOs) is scheduled to headline a Davies Entertainment pro boxing card against Javier Martinez (4-8, 3 KOs) of Austin on Aug. 20 at Sunset Station. Other local fighters scheduled to appear include Daniel Baiz, Jairo Castaneda and Jeffrey Stern.

John Whisler

Barrios also found plenty of support on his Twitter feed, which included tweets from the Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant and San Antonio native Jordan Clarkson, voicing “much respect” for Barrios.

“The love I’ve been receiving from fans has been incredible,” Barrios said in a statement after being greeted by a mob of supporters at San Antonio International Airport upon his return Monday to the Alamo City.

Barrios (26-1, 17 KOs) received high praise for his work inside the ring, too. He was ahead on the scorecards through seven rounds, adroitly following the game plan of using his height and reach to keep Davis, an explosive puncher who went up two weight classes to fight Barrios, at bay.

But in the eighth, the southpaw Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) turned up the pressure and dropped Barrios with a right cross, then moments later with a straight left.

Barrios regrouped and actually won the ninth round before Davis’ power took its toll in the 11th. A well-placed body shot left Barrios doubled over and in pain. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the bout seconds later.

After a slow beginning, both fighters — decked out in colorful trunks complete with tassels and feathers — put on a show that ended in dramatic fashion.

“This was a fight that lived up to its potential,” Espinoza said. “There isn’t a winner and a loser because both fighters put on a performance that was impressive and entertaining.”

Barrios said he plans take “a few weeks off” to rest and spend time with his family, who attended the fight.

He said in a text message he has not seen a replay of the fight but “if I were to do anything different, I think I would have gone to the body more.”

“Tank is very dangerous from any angle, so it’s easier said than done,” Barrios said. “But looking back, I would have thrown more body shots.”

That sentiment was echoed by Barrios’ co-manager, Bob Santos, but trainer Virgil Hunter had a different view.

“To go to the body means you have to bring Mario in the (range) of Tank’s punching power,” Hunter said. “You don’t want to do that. There were some things Mario could have done better, and we’ll work on them. But, overall, I thought he gave a great performance. He’s still a couple of years away (from his peak). He’s only going to grow from this.”

Barrios and his handlers were in agreement on one thing: The San Antonio fighter has fought his last fight at 140 pounds. Barrios will campaign at 147 in the future.

“He had a lot of trouble making weight,” Hunter said. “He’s too big for the weight now. It weakened him. He’s had a tough time making 140 his last three fights. We stayed at 140 for one more fight. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity (to fight Davis).”

Even Espinoza noticed the problems Barrios had in making weight.

“Mario looked very drawn and gaunt at the weigh-in,” he said. “I’m very interested to see what he looks like at 147 (pounds). I expect him to be even stronger.”

Espinoza said the fight cemented Davis’ status as a bona fide star and boosted Barrios, who was making his fifth appearance on Showtime but first in a PPV main event.

“He’s personable, good-looking, likable and a very good boxer with an entertaining style,” Espinoza said of Barrios. “The only question was how would he perform when he’s up against (a top-tier fighter)? He passed that test with flying colors. He certainly got Tank’s attention.

“Everything he did, he handled well on a very big stage. Without question he elevated himself and is on a path to get more big fights in the future.”