Shockers and upsets are a huge part of the sweet science. Abel Ramos almost gave us one when he took the fight to the champion, Mario Barrios, and left the arena with respect and almost with a gold strap. However, the WBC champion held on to his life and title with an anti-climax.

Barrios vs. Ramos went the distance, as the two produced the high-octane fight, with fireworks being a constant feature. But the judges ruled the fight as a split draw, as the judges’ scorecards read 114-112 Ramos, 116-110 Barrios, 113-113. The result ensured the title remained in Barrios’ possession.

Mario Barrios vs. Abel Ramos: fought like they wanted it all

Barrios started the fight strongly, as he launched his jabs and stacked his attacks behind it. Meanwhile, Ramos targeted the body and tried to close the distance. But Barrios connected with a one-two, dropping the challenger on the mat in the round two. It appeared to be a contest between Barrios’ desire to control the distance and pace with his jab and Ramos’ quest to cut the distance and come inside. But it soon changed when Ramos put the peddle on aggression and his straight right rocked the champion, and after a good follow-up, knocked him down.

Ramos led the fight in the middle rounds, and Barrios’ bleeding nose and swollen face were the testaments to it. But Barrios pulled back the fight in the championship rounds, and the fight ended in a split draw. Fans and pros then turned to their social media handles and shared their opinion of the fight.

Fans and pros blast Barrios and holes in his game

Shakur Stevenson explained how Barrios lacked in the clinching game. He wrote, “Barrios don’t know how to grab when he hurt.” Whenever Ramos hurt Barrios, he could have resorted to clinching, draining his opponent’s stamina and not allowing him to land more shots.

Jamel Herring expressed how the fight exceeded expectations. Backing the underdog, he said, “This fight has turned out better than expected. I like Barrios but I’m rooting for my guy Ramos.” Notably, both fighters threw more than 1500 punches combined, giving fans a fight to remember.

Lou DiBella also pointed out gaps in Barrios’ approach. He noted, “Barrios has NO defense for overhand right. #boxing” Ramos’ straights and lunging rights troubled Barrios throughout the fight, which even threatened to flatline him.

Dan Rafael detailed how the fighters had been victims of volume hitting. He penned, “Barrios-Ramos been a heck of a fight. Going to rd 12. Both have been down. Both are bloody messes. #boxing #PaulTyson.” Both Barrios and Ramos’ faces were swollen and had a leaky nose by the end of the fight, as their corners promptly proceeded to treat them and stop the hot, red liquid from flowing.

Lastly, Jake Donovan shed light on the scorecards. He declared, “They must’ve messed up Sean Wheelock’s scorecard – they gave Barrios 10-8 rd for the 6th 🥴” Ramos had rocked and dropped Barrios in the sixth round, and going by the conventional scoring, the round would have been 10-8 in his favor, not Barrios’. Maybe this mishap cost Ramos his world title.

What do you make of this fight between Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos? Let us know in the comments below.