Mario Barrios returned to his native San Antonio for the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Lightweight Championship and did so masterfully in his hometown by knocking out George Karl at the Alamodome this Saturday night.

Barrios finished off the “Cowboy” in the sixth round and retained his black and gold belt in the undercard of the fight between Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz.

“El Azteca,” as the American of Mexican descent is nicknamed, knocked down Karl twice during that sixth round. On the first occasion, he connected a straight right that sent him to the canvas and, after that, he threw a right uppercut that made the challenger fall flat on his face, making referee Luis Pabón stop the fight with no count.

The fight was entertaining, as Karl delivered on his promise and went out to fight the champion. The Texas native even won a couple of rounds thanks to his pressure at the beginning of the fight, but his pace started to slow down in front Barrios’ work and a cut caused by an accidental headbutt to his eyebrow.

Barrios proved why he is champion and came from less to more in the fight. He made good use of his reach and height advantage to fight in the long distance but using force shots to the body to wear Karl down.

The 25-year-old now has 26 wins, no losses, and 17 KOs. For his part, Karl now has a record of 18 wins, 3 losses, and 12 KOs.