Boxing, much like life, isn’t fair. Some fighters have the luxury of becoming a star outside the squared circle, garnering and, at times, squandering opportunity after opportunity. Others have to rely on circumstances and world titles to put them in the headlines and main events. In many respects, boxing can be a popularity contest.
Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and divisive fighters of this generation. The California native has committed multiple sins in boxing, ranging from numerous long stretches of inactivity, failure to make weight, testing positive for PEDs, and bewildering behavior outside of the ring, resulting in many considering him an untrustworthy commodity. Yet his popularity remains unwavering.
The promise of Garcia’s talent and potential, which has resulted in genuine accolades inside the ring, is something his promoter, Golden Boy, has held onto with patience. This leads us to Garcia’s upcoming bout with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) on February 21. Boxing insiders are aware that Garcia receiving a title shot after losing his previous bout to Rolando Romero is simply boxing politics. Many would consider him an unworthy challenger. However, for as many detractors and critics Garcia has, the man who will stand across the ring from him, the champion, has just as many doubters.
Barrios, a two-division world champion having held titles at junior welterweight and welterweight, isn’t viewed by many pundits as an elite fighter. Some would categorize him as being fortunate to hold a world title, with some criticism being harsher than others.
“Mario Barrios sucks, just a horrible, horrible champion, said former world titleholder Paulie Malignaggi. “Might be the worst champion I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Malignaggi’s thoughts on Barrios are an extreme exaggeration, which seems to have a personal vendetta attached, but there are those who have always considered Barrios the weakest champion at welterweight.
After losing a version of the WBA junior welterweight title in the summer of 2021 to Gervonta Davis, Barrios made his move up to the 147-pound weight class. Barrios’s performance against Davis in a loss was more than commendable, and in the eyes of his promoters, in his first fight at welterweight, he was the perfect opponent for a returning Keith Thurman in February 2022. The former unified welterweight champion would thoroughly outbox Barrios over 12 rounds, but it would lead the San Antonio, TX, fighter to what so far is the crowning moment of his career.
Following the loss to Thurman, Barrios took a year out of the ring and scored an eighth-round stoppage over Jovanie Santiago in his hometown of San Antonio. Then an opportunity arose to fight for the interim WBC welterweight title against former WBA welterweight champion, Yordenis Ugas.
Although Ugas was returning from a loss against former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence, in the fall of 2023, the Cuban was still regarded as one of the top welterweights. Ugas had recently sent Manny Pacquiao into retirement and gave former welterweight champion Shawn Porter all he could handle in a controversial defeat.
Against Ugas, Barrios put forth his most complete performance thus far, using his height and reach to dominate the Cuban with his jab. The Texas fighter knocked Ugas down twice en route to a lopsided unanimous decision. The win over Ugas put the welterweight division on notice, showcasing that although he had some losses, one had to be 100% prepared when facing Barrios. A victory one could argue that surpasses any of Malignaggi’s.
The San Antonio fighter would eventually be granted full status as the WBC welterweight champion when Terence Crawford moved up to junior welterweight and vacated his titles. However, Barrios’ tenure as a welterweight world champion is where much of the doubt and criticism about him stems. Barrios has defended his title three times, with two of those defenses ending in draws.
The first defense against Fabian Madiana was an average showing that ended in a unanimous decision, and the two draws came against Abel Ramos and a returning 46-year-old Pacquiao. Barrios and Ramos traded knockdowns in a fight in which both fighters looked vulnerable and took significant damage. The Pacquiao bout in particular should have been a showcase for Barrios, but at times, he looked tentative and intimidated against the aging legend. Many thought Pacquiao and his team picked Barrios because he seemed like the weakest welterweight champion, and, in some respects, in a division that featured during his tenure the likes of Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz, Brian Norman, and now Devin Haney, Barrios proved them right.
Now, against a fighter as inconsistent as Garcia, Barrios is the underdog, with many of his contemporaries believing that, if focused, the social media darling can win easily.
“If Ryan Garcia was focused on this camp and was really taking this seriously”, said Keyshawn Davis. “I think Ryan should win a fairly easy fight, honestly. I know Ryan personally from the amateurs. Ryan can really fight, but the focus level as a professional wasn’t always there.”
For Barrios, to win over Garcia and prove his most ardent naysayers wrong, he’ll have to block out all the noise surrounding the fight itself and what those outside of his team think of him. Working in Barrios’ favor is Garcia’s recent fight against Romero, where a clear blueprint was laid out to take the left hook away from Garcia, nullifying his speed. Also, now trained under the tutelage of Joe Goosen, one of the many former trainers of the Californian, Goosen has previously shown, with the late Diego Corrales, that he can mold a taller fighter to use his height and reach effectively.
Despite all the controversy and, at times, the ludicrous nature of the four-belt championship system in boxing, Barrios is a testament to the fact that the titles still have meaning. He wouldn’t be in the position to now headline his fourth PPV if he did not hold a title.
“Defending this title means everything to me,” said Barrios. “I fought my way back to the top, and now that I’m champion, this belt is staying home with me. Every round, every second, I’ll be fighting like a man whose entire spirit is in that ring—like everything I am is on the line.”
So while Garcia might be on his supposed final shot at glory against Barrios, he can always fall back on his fan base and generate interest in other avenues. Barrios, on the other hand, wants to prove his worth in the more traditional sense. To prove he isn’t a shortcut to a championship, but somebody to be taken seriously.
It’s said that it’s the man who makes the title, the title doesn’t make the man. Barrios is out to show the world and Garcia that the way into the welterweight division starts and ends with him.
This fight is about proving that I’m not just a champion—I’m one of the best in the world at 147,” said Barrios. “Garcia has power, but I’ve seen it all in the ring. I’m ready to go through fire to keep what’s mine.”
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