Mario Barrios, Lenier Pero, And Eumir Felix Marcial Score Undercard Stoppages
Fighting in front of the hometown fans, welterweight Mario Barrios (27-2, 18KO) made a statement by beating down Jovanie Santiago (14-3-1, 10KO) to get the victory. Barrios, teaming up with new trainer Bob Santos, fought as a man possessed. He threw punches in bunches with a relentless body attack. Moreover, he couldn’t miss with the right hand taking advantage of Santiago’s lack of head movement. After scoring a knockdown, he continued to land hard shots before Santiago’s corner stopped the fight in the eighth round. Barrios needed to bounce back after losing two fights in a row in 2022 and is back in the win column to start the year.
LENIER PERO BODY PUNCHES HIS WAY TO VICTORY OVER VIKTOR FAUST
In a battle of undefeated heavyweight prospects, Lenier Pero (9-0, 6KO) scored a much-needed stoppage over Viktor Faust (11-1, 7KO). Pero started out scoring with the jab and sharp counters in the early portion of the fight. However, Faust kicked it into high gear and started landing punches from all angles, effectively controlling the pace of the fight. In the eighth round, Pero hit with a devastating punch to the pit of the stomach that had Faust leaning over the ropes, defenseless. This prompted the referee to call for a halt to the fight. Pero’s power and intelligent body attack became the difference maker, when needed.
PROSPECT EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL OBLITERATES RICARDO VILLALBA
Middleweight prospect Eumir Felix Marcial (4-0, 2KO) ran over the more experienced veteran Ricardo Ruben Villalba (20-8-1, 8KO). Marcial, a decorated amateur that won the bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics, came out looking sharp by working behind a power jab before dropping Villalba in the first round with a painful body shot. The young Filipino prospect went into attack mode and dropped Villalba again with a right hook, ending the fight in the second round. Marcial’s overall natural boxing ability mixed with speed, power, and footwork is the reason why MP Promotions (Manny Pacquiao) quickly scoped him up.
