Former junior lightweight champion Jorge Barrios was stabbed repeatedly with a butcher’s knife during a New Year’s Eve party, according to media reports in Cordoba, Argentina, where the attack happened.
Barrios, 43, is expected to recover, according to members of his family who were celebrating with him at the time of the assault.
Barrios was stabbed in an apparent robbery attempt, according to his sister Edith Barrios. She told Argentine media that his wallet and phone were stolen. A suspect identified as Ramon Enrique Icardo is in custody in Cordoba, which is about 430 miles west of Buenos Aires.
Barrios (53-4-1, 36 KOs) won a junior lightweight title in April 2005, stopping Mike Anchondo in Miami. He successfully defended it twice, then lost the belt in a split decision to Joan Guzman in September 2006 in Las Vegas.
Barrios last fought on Sept. 28, scoring a split decision over Diego Alberto Chaves. He has won three straight bouts in an attempted comeback. Barrios, nicknamed The Hyena, has had a troubled past. He was convicted of negligent homicide in 2014. He served 3½ years in prison.