Junior lightweight prospect Mario Barrios used his considerable height and reach advantages to outbox and outclass Denis Boschiero en route to unanimous scores of 120-107 on Saturday in Trenton, New Jersey.
Barrios (16-0, 8 knockouts), an unusually tall (6-feet) 130 pounder from San Antonio, put forth an effective stick-and-move strategy against the 11-year veteran that didn?t go over well with the fans inside the Sun National Bank Center where the ESPN-televised main event took place. The 21-year-old up-and-comer was booed for playing it safe but avoided taking any punishment from Boschiero (39-5-1, 21 KOs), a 34-year-old former title challenger from Italy.
The fight was uneventful until the second half of the final round when Barrios produced a delayed knockdown with a well-timed left uppercut. The former European champ got up and rushed his young foe until the final bell, which sparked some heated exchanges.
In the opening bout of the PBC on ESPN broadcast, junior welterweight prospect Eddie Ramirez, of Aurora, Illinois, outpointed Jesse Roman over 10 rounds. Ramirez (14-0, 9 KOs) won by scores of 99-91 (twice) and 98-92. Roman (20-3, 9 KOs), of Garden Grove, California, had not fought since last August and reportedly took the fight on short notice.
