Idle for a career-long 30 months due to injuries and happenstance, former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman successfully returned his name among boxing's elite at 147 pounds on Saturday.
Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) boxed intelligently and landed the harder shots throughout to cut and outpoint Mario Barrios inside Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The three judges in the Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view main event were unanimous in favor of Thurman by scores of 117-111 and 118-110 (twice). CBS Sports also had it 118-110 for Thurman.
"It felt good. I still felt a little ring rust in there but it was amazing," Thurman said. "I had a great opponent and he learned from his last outing and [so did I]. I'm just so grateful to everybody that got me to this position and I'm looking forward to a big year. 2022, baby!"
Barrios (26-2, 17 KOs) used the goodwill he earned in his first pro loss last June when he was stopped late by Gervonta "Tank" Davis at 140 pounds to make his welterweight debut against a 33-year-old Thurman, who entered with questions given his age and layoff. Yet it was the native of Clearwater, Florida, who turned in a performance close enough to the prime version of himself.
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Thurman was faster and established himself as the bigger puncher, but it was the clear difference in experience and boxing IQ that allowed him to set traps and have his way.
That doesn't mean Thurman, who last fought in a 2019 split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao when he suffered his first pro defeat, enjoyed a walk in the park that was free of danger. Although Thurman was visibly hurt by a body shot in Round 8 and even spit out his own mouthpiece in order to breathe easier, he avoided the kind of implosion he formerly teased in a close win over Josesito Lopez three years ago.
"I really grade this one a C+ or B- for myself," Thurman said. "I knew that I was sharp from the sparring. [Barrios] was very poised [but] I saw some movement and some mistakes. I knew that I could hurt this boy like I did my sparring partners and I did that all night.
"We boxed smart and we rocked him but we weren't able to put him out. I rocked him a few times and I just have to get back in the gym and push that high intensity. That's what was missing tonight. I'm prepared to do that later this year."
Thurman routinely wobbled Barrios but was unable to floor him. Barrios, 26, bled from the nose following a left hook from Thurman in Round 4. Four rounds later, Barrios was cut along the right eye.
"It was kind of the fight I was expecting," Barrios said. "He was the one who had to come here and hold up to expectations. I think you all saw, once again, that I can appear with the great fighters. Me and my team, we are happy with the outcome.
"We knew he would be on his bike a lot, especially if I started to hurt him. I believe that I did several times. Overall, I felt stronger. There was nothing in there that really had hurt me to where I couldn't continue. I didn't get the win but I was happy with the outcome to give the fans a great fight."
Thurman outlanded Barrios by a margin of 181 to 105, according to CompuBox. He also connected on nearly 48% of his power shots.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday, so be sure to follow along with the live results and highlights below. Thanks for stopping by.
Fight card, results
- Keith Thurman def. Mario Barrios via unanimous decision (117-111, 118-110, 118-110)
- Leo Santa Cruz def. Keenan Carbajal via unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 100-90)
- Jesus Ramos def. Vladimir Hernandez via sixth-round knockout
- Luis Nery vs. Carlos Castro via split decision (94-95, 95-94, 96-93)
- Luke Santamaria def. Abel Ramos via unanimous decision (96-94, 96-94, 98-92)
Thurman vs. Barrios scorecard, live coverage
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurman | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 118 |
| Barrios | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 110 |