Earlier this month, Mario Barrios (27-2) put on one of the best performance of his career when he stopped Jovanie Santiago (14-3-1) in the 8th round of their welterweight showdown that served as the chief supporting bout underneath the Rey Vargas-O’Shaquie Foster main event.

The Showtime televised tripleheader took place in Barrios’ hometown of San Antonio, Texas.  

Barrios, who is a former super lightweight champion, started off fast and dominated from the opening bell until the fight was stopped. 

After fighting under the guidance of renown trainer Virgil Hunter for his past 12 fights, Barrios returned to train with Bob Santos. 

“He did everything I asked of him.  Santiago is a tough guy and should get credit for lasting as long as he did. You saw how he performed against Broner and Barrios just completely dismantled him,” Santos told BoxingScene.com. 

Santos was referring to Santiago’s 2021 fight against Broner that he lost via unanimous decision. Many observers felt the fight could have been a draw or awarded to Santiago. 

With the win Barrios snapped a two fight losing streak. He was stopped in the 11th round of his 2021 pay-per-view showdown again Gervonta “Tank” Davis and dropped a unanimous decision to Keith Thurman last February. 

Santos believes his charge is close to getting another shot at a belt. 

“Barrios proved he belongs in the conversation with the top fighters at 147. At 27 years old, he is just now entering his prime. He showed he can compete at the highest level and will continue to improve,” said Santos. 

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