Barrios’ title defense pushed back a month
San Antonio world champion Mario Barrios’ defense of his wba super lightweight title has been postponed, his manager has announced.
Barrios (25-0, 16 knockouts) was scheduled to meet Ryan Karl (18-2, 11 KOS) of Houston on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on a six-fight pay-per-view card on Showtime featuring the Charlo twins, Jermell and Jermall, in world title bouts.
But Barrios’ manager, Luis de Cubas Jr., said Barrios and Karl now will meet Oct. 24 instead on a Showtime pay-per-view card headlined by Gervonta Davis (23-0, 22 KOS) vs. Leo Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOS) for the WBA super featherweight crown. The site has yet to be announced.
De Cubas said the move provides “a better opportunity for Barrios.”
Barrios vs. Karl will be the comain event onthe Premier boxing Champions card.
“Leo Santa Cruz is a big name in Mexico,” de Cubas said. “There’ll be a huge Mexican following for that fight, a lot of people watching. It was a better option.”
He said Barrios is destined for the same superstar status as Santa Cruz, making the Oct. 24 card “a better fit” for Barrios.
Barrios, 25, will be making the first defense of the WBA super lightweight title hewon a year ago when he narrowly defeated Batyr Akhmedov (8-1, seven KOS) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on points.
“It’s part of the business,” Barrios said of the delay. “It’s happened to me before in my career. It’s basically just being pushed back a month.”
Barrios said his trainer, Virgil Hunter, has adjusted his work outs in California’s Bay Area to accommodate the delay and now everything “is back on track.”
“I’m looking forward to the fight,” Barrios said. “I think it’s going to be a good one.”
Karl, 28, is originally from milano, Texas. The fight will mark his first attempt at a world title.