Fighters: Keith Thurman vs Mario Barrios
Odds: Thurman -200; Barrios +1600
Location: Las Vegas
There’s a lot of talk about Keith Thurman’s return from a Keith Thurman perspective.
Why wouldn’t it be? It was Thurman who was a champion. It was Thurman who got in the ring with Manny Pacquiao where he lost to the Filipino champ. Heck, we haven’t seen Thurman since unless you follow him on social media or watch his interviews on YouTube.
There’s been little talk about Mario Barrios. In case you don’t know, Barrios will be Thurman’s opponent on Saturday night. If you think seeing Thurman in his last fight against a legend was special, Barrios’ last fight isn’t too far behind.
Barrios (26-1) took on Gervonta Davis at 140. He gave Davis all he could handle during the 11th round TKO loss.
He stalked Davis all night taking the early rounds before Davis’ power took over.
Now Barrios is moving up to 147 to take on Thurman.
The key to the fight could be how Barrios handles the additional weight. He believes it has made him stronger and he could port that new found strength into a stunning result. “We’re going into this fight with full confidence that we not only can compete with Thurman, but also hurt him,” said Barrios.
Key to the Fight:
There’s no doubt that Barrios will pressure Thurman throughout the fight. Will the extra weight work for him or work against him? Furthermore can Barrios get Thurman to abandon being a boxer and mix it up with him?
Thurman will be looking for a spectacular finish in his first fight since the loss Pacquiao. This might work into Barrios’ favor. If Barrios has 147-pound power he could hurt Thurman and maybe even pull off the upset.
