PBC on FS1’s Toe to Toe Tuesday delivered on its promised mismatch last night when Mario Barrios scored seventh round TKO over overmatched Philly club fighter Naim Nelson. Nelson was badly compromised with a shoulder injury, but he wasn’t going to be competitive anyway. Light heavyweights Earl Newman and Paul Parker fought to a split draw in the co-main event.
Mario Barrios (20-0, 12 KOs) didn’t need any additional advantages in this fight, but he got one anyone in the third round when Naim Nelson (13-4, 1 KO) missed a hook, fell to the ground, and injured his shoulder. Up to that point it was a tactical fight in which Barrios used his range to jab and land rights from the outside while Nelson would jump in with the occasional quicker shot, but after the fall Barrios was just able to beat Nelson up at his own pace.
From the second half of the third to the finish, all Nelson could do is circle and try to pot shot right hands. Barrios caught him with big rights that wobbled him a bit in both the fifth and the sixth, but he was never close to being finished until the seventh. Again in the final round Barrios landed a big right hand that hurt Nelson, but this time Nelson seemed to lose a bit of awareness and swung back with a big hook from his hurt left shoulder. Barrios sort of parried the hook back with his glove and Nelson dropped to the canvas in pain. The fight was stopped after a brief discussion with the ringside doctor.
Again, Mario Barrios looks competent but fails to really impress against thoroughly mediocre competition. I wish they wouldn’t use him in main events if this is what they insist on.
26 year old light heavyweight prospect Earl Newman (10-0-1, 7 KOs) appeared to pass the biggest test of his career opening the show against Paul Parker (8-2-1, 4 KOs). Newman didn’t set the world on fire here, but Parker has been in against good fighters and Newman handled him reasonably well after a slow first two rounds. Yet, the cards came back a split draw. I didn’t agree with that.
21 year old lightweight prospect Thomas Velasquez (9-0-1, 6 KOs) also drew with club fighter Tyrome Jones (4-2-1, 1 KO) in a six round swing bout.
