Ryan Garcia will take on Mario Barrios this month, as the divisive American aims to capture his compatriot’s world title – potentially setting up a huge fight with a certain British star.
Garcia, who previously held interim gold at lightweight, will bid to become a fully-fledged world champion when he boxes Barrios, who puts his WBC welterweight belt on the line in Las Vegas.
Thus far, Garcia’s world-title aspirations have been hindered by his inconsistency in the ring and personal issues outside of it. In his most-recent bout, the 27-year-old was dropped and outpointed by Rolly Romero, marking the second loss of “King Ryan”’s career, while a failed drug test cost him a 2024 win over Devin Haney.
But Barrios, 30, is lacking momentum as well. The southpaw champion has not won since May 2024, having drawn both of his subsequent bouts. Barrios could not convincingly see off Abel Ramos in November 2024, and last summer’s clash with a 46-year-old, ring-rusty Manny Pacquiao ended as a draw, too.
If Garcia (24-2, 20 knockouts) can dethrone his fellow American (29-2-2, 18 KOs) this month, he will not only realise his world-title dream at last, but the young star may also find himself paired with Conor Benn next. Here’s all you need to know.
When is the fight?
Garcia vs Barrios will take place on Saturday 21 February at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card is due to begin at 1am GMT on Sunday (5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET on Saturday), with main-event ring walks expected at around 4am GMT on Sunday (8pm PT / 10pm CT / 11pm ET on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
Garcia vs Barrios will stream live exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view worldwide, at a cost of £24.99 in the UK, $64.99 in the US, and the equivalent of $19.99 in other countries. You can purchase the fight on DAZN here, where you can also buy a DAZN subscription (plans start at £15.99 per month).
Odds
7/4 – Barrios
4/9 – Garcia
16/1 – draw
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Fight card in full
Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion
Mario Barrios (C) vs Ryan Garcia (WBC welterweight title)
Richardson Hitchins (C) vs Oscar Duarte (IBF super-lightweight title)
Gary Antuanne Russell (C) vs Andy Hiraoka (WBA super-lightweight title)
Frank Martin vs Nahir Albright (super-lightweight)
Bektemir Melikuziev vs Sena Agbeko (super-middleweight)
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