LOS ANGELES—Mexican-American Carlos Licona pounded out a 12-round split decision over Filipino Mark Anthony Barriga in their fight for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight throne on Saturday at Staples Center.
Judge Edward Hernandez Sr. gave it to Licona, 115-113, while Tom Carusone saw it 115-113 for Barriga and Esther Lopez also had it for Licona, 115-113.
In a battle of undefeateds, Licona and Barriga had their moments with Licona banking on his overhand right while Barriga on his sneaky left.
Licona’s best came in the middle rounds when he made Barriga, shorter by two inches at 5-2, miss with his punches.
Boasting of the loner reach, Licona stalked Barriga all night long but the Filipino entry, sensing that the title was slipping away, roared back in the last three rounds.
This time, it was Licona who missed his target as Barriga became more aggressive and connected with his left and three-punch combinations.
Sean Gibbons, the US agent of Barriga, was furious when he saw the scoresheets of the two judges.
“They didn’ credit Barriga’s strong finish. The final rounds was Mark’s,” said Gibbons.
Still, Gibbons admits that Barriga, the 2012 London Olympian, may have been at fault by not becoming busier.
“He should have thrown more punches,” said Gibbons.
Barriga arrived here ten days ago after camping out exclusively at the Survival Camp in Magallanes, Cavite, in the Philippines, for two straight months.
Unlike before when he skipped training, Barriga kept his focus and composure and opted to stay behind there, enduring the trying times without the familiar faces when they traveled elsewhere for commitments and obligations.
During this period, Barriga was put under the strict supervision of nutritionist Jeaneth Aro so he could easily shed off excess baggage without sacrificing his physical conditioning.
Even during the final days leading to the weighin, Barriga still afforded to eat three meals a day, a far cry from the days when he had to starve himself just to meet the weight limit.
On the morning of the fight, Barriga stepped in at 110.6 lbs after coming in at 103.6 during the official weighin on Friday.
The Barriga-Licona fight took place immediately after the world heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury that ended on a split draw.
