“The Maths Not Adding Up”: Mario Barrios’ Controversial Win on Canelo vs. Munguia Undercard Branded a “Robbery” by Fans

The future of the WBC’s welterweight division was at stake, and it’s Mario Barrios who has emerged as its new lynchpin at Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia. With Terence Crawford bound for a new life in a division above soon, this interim title is as good as the regular one. But it was ‘El Azteca’ who rose to the occasion as he dismantled Fabian Andres Maidana on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Barrios, 28, was the favorite coming into the fight as he entered the ring on the heels of an impressive win against Yordenis Ugás. Meanwhile, Maidana, 31, had a recent resurgence as he was on a 4-win streak. However, he failed to maintain the momentum and bowed out of the title picture in the 147-pound division, adding a third loss to his record column. Notably, Barrios outpointed the Argentine fighter, as all the judges scored the fight 116-111 in his favor. But the scorecard puzzled the fans, as they alleged a “robbery.”

What happened in the fight at Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia?

Maidana came out swinging in the fight. Meanwhile, Barrios maintained his distance, kept a high guard, employed jabs, and remained calculative. In a relatively less active round 1, Maidana’s heavy hands put him slightly ahead of the incumbent champion. In round 2, Barrios put forward pressure, dictated pace, and found the flesh of his opponent with precise jabs. Maidana found it hard to close in the distance, but he burst with some combinations towards the end of the round.

In the third round, Maidana sneaked in a couple of power punches but was caught lacking by Barrios with a jab, followed by a right, which dropped him to one knee and scored an impressive knockdown. In the fourth round, Barrios’ jabs remained cautious because of Maidana’s counter-punching and power during the exchanges. Moreover, Maidana’s burst of 5-6 punch combinations seemed to work in his favor on scorecards but didn’t put a dent in Barrios’ chin.

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In the fifth round, Maidana didn’t initiate any action as he was happy to fight on the back foot and counterpunch and won the round. Whereas Barrios’ forward pressure continued to dictate the fight’s pace. A similar pattern followed in the sixth round, but with Maidana’s combinations doing more damage, Barrios’ right eye started to shut down a bit. But those heavy blows came few. He wanted to build on the momentum in the next round as he worked a few body blows. However, Barrios’ solid jabs won him the round.

In the eighth and ninth rounds, Maidana’s sneaky power punches troubled Barrios, but the champion continued to land jabs in the mid-section with discipline. Despite this, Barrios’ right eye was swollen and almost closed down. Nothing changed during the championship rounds, and surprisingly, there was no urgency on the challenger’s part as he was trailing behind the cards. If Maidana had a game plan, it didn’t work out, as at no point did he really put the pedal on aggression.

How did the fans, and pundits react to Barrios’ splendid win?

A fan believed the math was not adding up as Maidana didn’t throw these many punches or have bigger moments in the fight to win 4 rounds. They said, “I got to see the scorecards cause the maths not adding up.”

Similarly, another fan contested that Maidana couldn’t have won 4 rounds, as he only bagged the first and fifth rounds. Apart from these two rounds, he didn’t express any urgency to win the fight. It seemed he was happy with the paycheck.

Someone believed Barrios would be an easy fight for Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis if the two were to clash for the unification or other strap of the pound division. While Ennis is the IBF champion, he might look for unification after Crawford has either relinquished the titles or stripped them off. They wrote, “Easy Work for Boots.”

A comment called for robbery in the fight as they pointed out Barrios’ swollen right eye, which had completely closed off in the late rounds. They replied, “Robbery look at his face.”

A fan believed Barrios could have ended the fight in the 7th round as he landed some solid jabs and had Maidana in trouble. They responded, “Barrios should’ve ended this fight in the 7th round.”

What do you make of this exciting fight at Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia? Do you believe the winner will become an enforcer of WBC’s welterweight division? Let us know in the comments below.