Trent Reinsmith
- Who: Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios
- What: Vacant WBC Interim Welterweight Title
- Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV
- How to Watch: Showtime PPV
On September 30, 2023, undisputed super middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez puts his 168-pound titles on the line against Jermell Charlo. Charlo is the undisputed junior middleweight champion. He is making the rare two-weight division jump to face Alvarez, moving from 154 pounds and skipping the 160-pound middleweight limit in the hopes of making boxing history when the two men face off in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena for their Showtime pay-per-view matchup. Before that fight takes place, Yordenis Ugas and Mario Barrios will face off for the vacant WBC interim welterweight title. Here is some background information before we look at the betting breakdown for Ugas vs. Barrios.
Yordenis Ugas (27-5 with 12 knockouts) enters the WBC welterweight title fight coming off a long layoff. His last fight was an April 2022 loss to Errol Spence Jr. That setback cost Ugas his WBA title. Before that, Ugas defeated Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision in August 2021.
Mario Barrios (27-2 with 18 KOs) bounced back from back-to-back losses to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman to defeat Jovanie Santiago by eighth-round TKO in February 2023.
Before looking at the betting odds and picks for Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios, check out the best boxing betting sites and our betting picks for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo fight.
Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios betting picks
| To Win Vacant WBC Interim Welterweight Title |  |  |  |  |
| Yordenis Ugas | -350 | -350 | -345 | -384 |
| Mario Barrios | +260 | +260 | +255 | +249 |
Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios betting breakdown
In March, news broke that the WBC had ordered a matchup between Yordenis Ugas, a former WBA welterweight champ, and Mario Barrios for the sanctioning body’s interim welterweight title. According to the WBC ratings, Ugas is the No. 2 fighter at 147 pounds, while Barrios checks in at No. 4. At the time the fight was announced, Erol Spence Jr. owned that WBC title, but he lost that strap to Terence Crawford in July.
Ugas employs a solid high guard, which, if he can maintain it, gives him a strong defense and prevents his opponent from landing blows that will score with the judges. He is an accurate striker, but the ex-champ can get discouraged and fight from too far out if his opponent ups the pressure and takes over on offense. However, even if he falls behind, Ugas is savvy enough that he can capitalize on any opening his opponent provides, something he did well against in his loss to Spence.
Barrios looked very good against Santiago. He was aggressive and showed his power. He also looked confident and determined to get past his two previous losses before that fight. However, Santiago, who is unranked, is not on the same level as Ugas, and it’s hard to shake the memory of how Barrios performed against Thurman and Davis, which was not well.
Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios: Who has the edge?
Barrios, who will be 28 on fight night, is nine years younger than Ugas. He also has a lot less mileage on his body than his foe. Another concern in this fight is the layoff. Ugas hasn’t fought in 16 months and he took a lot of damage to his eye in the loss to Spence, which could make him reluctant to engage in a slugfest with the powerful Barrios. Barrios also has a two-inch reach advantage, which could serve him well, as Ugas does better work in close.
Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios: What’s at stake?
According to The Ring, the winner of this fight could be a mandatory opponent for undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Crawford was the WBO champion when he stopped Erol Spence in the ninth round of their July matchup. With that win, Crawford picked up Spence’s WBA, WBC, and IBF titles and also captured the vacant welterweight belt from The Ring. A matchup against Crawford would be a massive payday for the winner of Ugas vs. Barrios.
Best Bets for Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios
There are a lot of questions facing both Yordenis Ugas and Mario Barrios ahead of their WBC interim welterweight title fight. The biggest question facing Ugas are his age, the long layoff, and his recovery from injury. As for Barrios, he has to answer if he can compete against the welterweight division’s elite.
While this fight doesn’t have the hype of Alvarez vs. Charlo, it is a great fight to watch on the same card as that big-time scrap.
There is a great deal of value in betting on Barrios to win, and that’s one of the reasons we are going with the betting underdog to win. Our betting pick is for Mario Barrios to get the upset win over the betting favorite, Yordenis Ugas by decision.
Best bet for Yordenis Ugas vs. Mario Barrios: Mario Barrios to win WBC interim welterweight title by decision.
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