Mark Barriga loses world title fight vs Gonzales on points

Filipino Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga suffered a unanimous decision loss in his second world title attempt against WBO world light flyweight champion Jonathan Gonzales this Saturday at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, USA.

Barriga started the bout with crisp jabs and fast combinations while Gonzalez went to the head and body. The Puerto Rican was more aggressive the next round which caused a clash of heads that opened a cut near Barriga's left ear.

Barriga's counter-punching prowess was on display in round three, carefully picking his shots that found their target. He upped his aggression the following round, unleashing fast overhand lefts that caught the attention of Gonzalez.

Barriga started to take over from round 7 onward with his aggression while making it hard for Gonzalez to land a clean punch thanks to his signature slick defense. They traded heavy leather on the inside in the center of the ring in round 9 with Gonzalez getting the better of the exchange.

Sensing that the fight is close, Gonzalez fought with urgency in rounds 10, 11 and 12. Landing a clean punch, however, did not come easy as Barriga remained slick and threw his jabs up until the final bell.

All three judges saw the fight for Gonzalez after twelve rounds of action, the scorecards were 115-113, 117-111 and 117-111. The win improved the Puerto Rican’s record to 26-3-1 with 14 knockouts while Barriga dropped to 11-2 with 2 knockouts.

—JMB, GMA News