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Jonathan Victor Barros won his first world title last night by stopping opponent Irving Berry for the vacant WBA featherweight belt at Polideportivo Vicente Polimeni in Las Heras, Argentina.
A prior holder of the WBO Latino and Argentine crowns, Barros was just seven months removed from a failed bid to unseat Cuban phenom Yuriorkis Gamboa for the WBA title in which the Mendoza man had to climb of the canvas but finished the bout against the heavy-handed champion.
Berry, of Panama, had previously only lost to future WBA Interim bantam king Nehomar Cermeno in an early contest and brought a 14 fight win streak to the table, including victories for the WBA International, Interim WBO Latino and Panamanian titles.
The challenger started the clash well, managing to keep pace with Barros but after the champion got settled in, his edge in experience began to take its toll.
After four rounds, Barros began to pick it up and go forward. By the fifth the challenger was on the receiving end of an increasing amount of punishment, which reached an apex in the seventh as Berry was determined to be unable to adequately defend himself.
Barros improves to 31-1-1 (18), annexing the WBA featherweight title while Berry falls to 18-2-2 (9).
Also on the bill, super bantam Mauricio Javier Munoz, 21-2 (9), defeated iron-chinned southpaw Miguel Leonardo Caceres, 20-26-6 (5), via six round UD in a rematch to their initial contest in April, in which Martinez won by split decision for the WBO Latino title.
