Who could Mario Barrios fight if he moved up to the junior middleweight division?
Barrios saw a two-year reign as the WBC welterweight titleholder come to an end when he lost his title to Ryan Garcia back in February.
Since then, Barrios has announced that he will take his next fight at junior middleweight. That announcement came on the CountryBox card on March 3 when he was supporting his sparring partner, Osmel Avila.
Barrios has held a secondary title at junior welterweight and was the outright titleholder at welterweight. Who knows when Barrios will return, but when he does, here are some of the names he could potentially face.
5. Bakary Samake
Record: 19-0 (11 KOs)
Chances of happening: 5%
Excitement level: 5/10
Samake is a rising contender in the division. He would be a high-risk, low-reward, but interesting opponent. If Barrios opted to face a contender and not get accustomed to the division, this would be an interesting fight, though it is unlikely.
4. Brian Mendoza
Record: 23-5 (17 KOs)
Chances of happening: 15%
Excitement level: 5/10
Mendoza has a massive win over Sebastian Fundora, but is coming off a loss to Yoenis Tellez. The bout would be a good barometer for Barrios entering the division against a quality puncher.
3. Danny Garcia
Record: 38-4 (22 KOs)
Chances of happening: 20%
Excitement level: 7/10
A great fight between two veteran fighters. It pits two eras of the Premier Boxing Champions main event fighters against each other. Garcia helped build the boxing market at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. He was a staple of big fights in the last decade, and Barrios has been a part of big pay-per-view fights of this decade.
2. The winner of Tim Tszyu vs. Errol Spence
Record: Tszyu 27-3 (18 KOs); Spence 28-1 (22 KOs)
Chances of happening: 30%
Excitement level: 7/10
The winner of Tszyu-Spence would make for a compelling match-up.
Since taking a second loss to Sebastian Fundora, Tszyu has moved back to being a regional Australian fighter. Spence, meanwhile, has been out of the ring since losing to Terence Crawford in 2023. If Spence wins, it is a good Texas fight; if Tszyu wins, Barrios could face a top contender, potentially overseas, for a lot of money.
1. Jermell Charlo
Record: 35-2-1 (19 KOs)
Chances of happening: 30%
Excitement level: 7/10
Charlo hasn’t been seen in a ring since a 2023 loss to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. If Charlo were to return, a bout against Barrios would be highly intriguing. Barrios is coming off a loss, but has been more active and fought some big names in the sport. Charlo was once a pound-for-pound fighter who has essentially become a semi-retired fighter, which means we are uncertain what he looks like at this point. Given that both fighters are from Texas it could also easily happen there.
