MARK Barriga fell short in his first-ever shot at a world tile, losing via split decision to Carlos Licona in their fight for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight title on Sunday.
The Filipino Olympian lost by scores of 115-113 in the eyes of two judges even as one judge gave him the nod, 113-115, in one of the featured undercards in the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight championship bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The loss was the first in the pro career of the 25-year-old Barriga, who failed to give the Survival Camp stable another world champion after reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight title holder Jerwin Ancajas.
He fell to a 9-1 record (1 knockout).
Barriga was a decorated amateur boxer who won a gold medal in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games and bronze winner in the 2014 Asian Games. He was the country’s lone boxing representative in the 2012 London Olympics.
The 23-year-old Licona, an American of Mexican descent, remained unbeaten with a 14-0 record (2 KOs).
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
