Yordenis Ugas vs Mario Barrios Interim Title Fight in September
Former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) is returning to the ring. He will face Mario “El Azteca” Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs) on September 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two will battle on the undercard of the upcoming clash between undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo.
Ugas versus Barrios was ordered by the WBC in March 2023 after rumors surfaced that then-unified champion Errol Spence would face Keith Thurman at 154. But Spence stayed at 147 and lost to newly crowned undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford on July 29.
A SOLID MATCHUP
Ugas won the WBA title in August 2021 with a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao. He has been out of action since April 2022, when he lost the WBA belt by a tenth-round stoppage loss to Spence. In that contest, Ugas suffered a fractured orbital bone.
Now fully healed and healthy, he goes up against Barrios, whose last ring appearance was in February 2023, when he scored an eighth-round stoppage over Jovanie Santiago. Barrios once held the WBA Regular title at 140.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
This matchup features two veterans hungry to get another world title shot. Ugas is the more technical fighter while Barrios is more aggressive. Their battle will be for the WBC Interim welterweight belt. The winner will be named the WBC mandatory challenger for the undisputed champion Crawford.
