Keith Thurman dominated Mario Barrios in spectacular boxing performance in Las Vegas

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Keith Thurman dominated Mario Barrios in spectacular boxing performance in Las Vegas
Keith Thurman bludgeoned Mario BarriosPhoto by Premier Boxing Champions
  • Keith Thurman dominated Mario Barrios in a boxing match Saturday in Las Vegas.
  • Thurman was one of the biggest and best names in the welterweight division five years ago.
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LAS VEGAS — Keith Thurman dominated Mario Barrios in a WBC welterweight world title eliminator Saturday at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Thurman was one of the biggest and best names in the jam-packed 147-pound boxing division five years ago, but has since only fought twice because of injury.

He was last seen getting off the canvas in the first round against Manny Pacquiao, to almost upset the Filipino fighter in a 2019 match.

Fast forward to 2022, and it was unclear what type of Thurman we'd see in the ring.

But the 33-year-old ensured it was one of the best versions of himself as he leathered Barrios at every opportunity in the early going of the contest, catching the younger Barrios, 26, with hard left hooks.

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Through five, it became difficult to award Barrios with a single minute of the fight, let alone a round.

Then, one of the best shots of the night came — a lead left that bounced off of Barrios' braincase, tilting his skull back and raising the roof off of the Mandalay Bay joint.

Yes. This was, dare we say it, near-vintage Thurman.

Barrios may have made his way to the ring to the sound of melodic drum beats, but it was Thurman who was making him dance to his tune.

Thurman held court in the center of the ring, fired fists at Barrios from a variety of angles, and kept himself out of distance enough to make his opponent miss whenever he attempted to throw something meaningful.

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This wasn't the welterweight debut that Barrios will have wanted, having moved north from super lightweight following a crushing defeat to Gervonta Davis.

As this loss will have felt just as bruising. After nine rounds, he was also bleeding. Heavily.

And, bar a body-shot that sent Thurman reeling, Barrios didn't seem to have much else to offer — certainly no consistent strategy to continue sending unpleasant power shots to his midsection.

The ending for Barrios, with his mangled nose and bloodied face, came after 36 minutes of fighting.

Thurman may have been expected to win, but questions remained over his inactivity and injuries.

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With a performance like the one he returned Saturday, "One Time" provided the answers — he's still here, still an extremely capable fighter at the elite level, and still ready to show there is a lot of time left in his career.

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