Interview with Phil Baroni Derails into Cigarette Bargaining and Bizarre Claims in Mexican Prison

Austin Jones
Apr 30
3 min read

Interview with Phil Baroni Derails into Cigarette Bargaining and Bizarre Claims in Mexican Prison

In what was supposed to be an exclusive FIGHT.TV interview inside a Mexican prison, chaos quickly replaced journalism as Phil “The New York Bad Ass” Baroni turned what should have been a chance to speak out… into a surreal barter for cigarettes.

FIGHT.TV had arranged for Gabriel “Tanque” Garcia, a respected Mexican boxer and fluent Spanish-English speaker, to travel to the prison facility housing Baroni. The goal? To hear his side of the story surrounding the serious aggravated femicide charge he faces—a case that has made global headlines since early 2023.

What we got instead… was a circus.

Cigars and Side-Eye

From the jump, Baroni refused to talk unless he was given “more cigars.” As Garcia tried to start the interview, Baroni launched into a tirade of demands. "You think I’m gonna talk for free?"

Garcia attempted to reason with him, explaining, “Phil, this interview could bring light to your side of the case. People want to hear from you.”

Baroni’s response? “Suck my ****. I didn’t kill my girlfriend. I got other girlfriends. Why would they come stay the night with me in the prison if I killed my other one?”

Yes, you read that right.

Prison Life in Mexico: Not What You Expect

For those unfamiliar, Mexican prisons operate differently than their U.S. counterparts. While corruption is an open secret, many facilities offer inmates much more flexibility. Inmates like Baroni—especially foreigners with a history of fame—often barter for privileges, ranging from extra food and clothing to conjugal visits. It’s not uncommon for prisoners to cohabitate with significant others under loose supervision. In Baroni’s case, he claims multiple girlfriends visit him and even spend nights.

It’s a sharp contrast to the isolated, highly regulated system in the U.S.—and Baroni seems to be leveraging that leniency as power over his narrative.

The Interview That Wasn’t

What began as a well-intentioned effort to give Phil Baroni a platform to speak from behind bars has spiraled into a surreal, incoherent sideshow. Baroni, slurring his words and stumbling over sentences, spends the majority of the audio launching into profanity-laced tirades about nearly everyone he's ever worked with or for. Garcia, attempting to guide the interview back to reality, is repeatedly cut off by Baroni’s increasingly erratic rants.

The rest of the 43-minute audio we received is Garcia repeatedly asking questions like:

“Can you walk us through what happened that night?”
“Do you regret anything?”
“Is there something you want your fans to know?”

Each time, Baroni dodged with new demands

Eventually, Garcia gives up. The audio ends with the boxer sighing.

A Clear Case of CTE?

Throughout the audio, Baroni’s speech is slurred, erratic, and filled with long pauses, emotional swings, and visible confusion. He forgets names mid-sentence. He repeats phrases like “You know what I’m sayin’?” every few seconds. At one point, he says the same line three times in a row, forgetting he’d already said it.

These aren’t just the ramblings of a disgruntled ex-fighter. It’s a window into the cognitive decline often associated with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)—a degenerative brain condition linked to repeated head trauma, common in combat sports veterans.

While no diagnosis has been confirmed, what's captured on this recording is heartbreaking: a former star of the cage, trapped in a prison both physical and mental.

What’s Next for Baroni?

While Phil Baroni maintains his innocence, his courtroom behavior and media antics aren’t helping his case. He faces 30 to 50 years under Mexican law if convicted.

FIGHT.TV will continue to monitor the legal proceedings. We remain committed to providing fighters with a voice—but sometimes, that voice would rather ask for Marlboros than make a statement.

Stay tuned.

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