Bob Santos' corner instructions were the difference between a loss and a draw for WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios.
Barrios fought Manny Pacquiao to a draw on July 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Barrios has retained his title with two straight draws, having also drawn against Abel Ramos in November.
Barrios, 29-2-2 (18 KOs), found the fight slipping away from him against the 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao. Santos, the trainer of Barrios, gave an impassioned speech before the 10th round, urging Barrios to win the final rounds, which he did.
“I knew it was close,” Santos told BoxingScene. “I did crack the whip on him and told him we need these rounds with a big sense of urgency.”
Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, entered as the favorite. Yet, as the fight progressed, Pacquiao began to have success, especially in the middle rounds.
Santos says he heard the fans cheering for the popular Filipino fighter Pacquiao. In a close fight, judging can be subjective, as who comes forward and who lands the punches that the crowd reacts to more can sway a round. In both of those categories, Pacquiao, 62-8-3 (39 KOs), often had the advantage.
“In real time, I was surprised we were in that position,” Santos said. “I felt like a lot more could have been done, but for whatever reason, there was a disconnect between me and Barrios, and what I was trying to tell him, and what needed to be done and what was being done. I don’t know the reason why. I know he was capable of doing the things I was asking him to do.”
Another pattern emerged: Barrios’ excessive touching of gloves and Pacquiao telling Barrios certain body shots were low. These became repeat occurrences throughout the bout. Santos continued to tell Barrios not to touch gloves with Pacquiao.
“Pacquiao is a veteran, and he has tons of experience,” Santos said. “He was using that experience to not only fight the fight, but ref the fight. I had to recognize that in real-time and tell Barrios that you can’t allow this to happen.”
Santos, who led Hector Luis Garcia to victory over Chris Colbert, is known for taking chances. In this fight, Barrios wasn’t as willing to do so. Santos says that is something they will have to work on.
“As far as the training camp goes, a lot of adjustments are going to have to be made,” Santos said. “There is a big disconnect, like I said, from the camp and the way things played out to the way I was coaching in the corner.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
