Boxer 'looked like Avatar character' after gruesome beating

Boxing fans took to social media to troll Mario Barrios after his opponent Keith Thurman left him looking like a character from sci-fi movie Avatar on Saturday.

Ex-welterweight champion Thurman was impressive in Paradise, Nevada when making his return to the ring after a near three-year hiatus.

In his first bout since losing the WBA belt to Manny Pacquiao in July 2019, Thurman beat former light-welterweight titleholder Barrios via unanimous decision with the brutality of the showdown no more evident than on the Mexican's face post-fight.

After 12 tough rounds, the Texan had his nose knocked to one side which some claimed left him looking like a character from James Cameron's 2009 all-time box office smash Avatar.

"Damn, Thurman put them hands on Barrios 'One Time' and turned him into an Avatar," quipped one Twitter user, while also dropping in Thurman's ring name.

"Barrios looking like an Avatar character after getting his a** beat," said another.

"If you paint Barrios' face blue now, he'll be the same as an Avatar," came a similar comment.

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"I never saw a fighter that received so many blows to the nose like Mario Barrios," concluded another.

Following his wide 117-111, 118-110, 118-110 win, Thurman made no secret of his intentions going forward.

"I want the belts, baby," he said. "I want the champions."

Due to this, the Florida native might be in attendance when IBF and WBC king Errol Spence takes on his WBA counterpart Yordenis Ugas in April at the Dallas Cowboys' AT & T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and later try to push for a date with the winner.

Elsewhere in the division, Spence's fellow pound-for-pound rival and WBO ruler Terence Crawford currently has an empty schedule and often seeks to add respected names like Thurman's to his resume.