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Barrios: I dug deep / Akhmedov: I beat him up

Super lightweight Batyr Akhmedov outlanded Mario Barrios 238 to 135 and dominated a large portion of their fight on Saturday night in Los Angeles. But two knockdowns played a significant role as Barrios came away with the vacant WBA super lightweight title.

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Mario Barrios: “I knew this was going to be a war. He was getting dirty in there but the Mexican warrior in me was not going to let this opportunity pass me by. I dug deep and got the victory…I promised my city of San Antonio that I would bring this title back home and I did it.”

Batyr Akhmedov: “The judges see better than I can from the ring. I did everything I could. I thought I won the fight. They decided that he won the fight. When I watch the fight I’ll be able to tell you what it looked like. My job is to do everything to win. The judges are supposed to judge correctly. I tried to do everything I could. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to handle his experience, but he was on the ropes most of the fight. I beat him up and I thought I won the fight.

“The plan was to gradually grow the activity. I knew that I had to win by a wide margin. After the first knockdown, I knew that I had to add activity more quickly than I had planned. So I started being more aggressive. I did everything I could to try to stop him.”

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  • one of the worse decision I’ve seen in a while the Akhmedov beat barrios 115-113

    • It was FAR more lop-sided than your score,
      but your overall claim is absolutely correct.

  • I didnt score this one, but I did think Marco’s Villegos (probably misspelled the last name…apologies) had a score that reflected the fight. Barrios was definitely sharper early, but it was all Batyr down the stretch…until the knockdown in the 12th. However, you could make a case for a 10 – 9 for Barrios in that round instead if 10 – 8. He lost every second of the round except for the one punch that knocked Batyr down.

    For me this fight calls for a rematch.

  • A draw at worse but Ahkmedov dished out most the damage and was deserving of a win here lady night.

  • The North American boxing establishment will not allow these Russians to come in here and beat their fighters. These West Asian/East Russian fighters are stepping up the competition early in their pro careers because of their long decorated amateur pedigree. This Russian kid had half the fights the Chicano did and still look to the winter there to me. Barrios just wasn’t busy enough but was sharper when he worked. However, you have to consider the fighter that wins the majority of the round to give him the win. Sugar Ray Leonard got a decision over marvelous Marvin hagler because he would steal the round in the last 30 seconds. Rounds are not scored this way. I think in a rematch the Russian would definitively beat the Chicano if they can get it in New York.

  • I’ve been following boxing since about 1949. There has always been a bad decision here and there, but it’s got so bad these days, especially in Texas and Vegas, that I’ve just about give up on everything but the top two or three weight classes. And I don’t mean all the made up weights between the traditional classes. I mean heavy, light heavy, and middleweight.

  • This was one of the most tragically hilarious decisions
    I’ve ever seen a panel of (corrupt, paid-off) judges make.
    It could not have been any clearer how badly Akhmedov
    brutalized Barrios. I thought that several times the ref
    would stop the horrific beating Marcos took. The faces
    of the two men tell the truth. The decision was a LIE.

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