Ryan Garcia Certain His Preparation ‘Speaks Enough’

In a day, Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) will test his mettle for Mario Barrios’ (29-2-2, 18 KOs) WBC welterweight title at the T-Mobile Arena in New York. However, unlike his usual self, he isn’t making any controversial statements.

Talking at their final press conference, Garcia urged the boxing community and fans to let his performance on fight night speak for itself.

“There’s not a lot that I haven’t seen in the sport of boxing, a long amateur career, the amount of fights I’ve had, all the sparring I’ve had. For me, I’m just preparing myself, and I have as best as I possibly can, and now when I step in that ring, I know myself will be 100%. So, we just have to see when he’s in there how he is, but I definitely don’t think it’s something I haven’t seen,” he said.

The matchup took shape after Garcia’s turbulent run at the top of the sport, where controversy and questions about discipline outside the ring increasingly matched explosive wins.

Coming off the chaos surrounding his fight with Devin Haney and the broader narrative that he was drifting between weight classes without a clear championship path, Garcia needed a credible welterweight test to re-establish direction. Barrios, meanwhile, had rebuilt himself into a legitimate presence at 147 pounds after earlier high-profile setbacks,

Coming into the fight, Garcia believes that his preparation for the fight was top-notch, despite not wanting to talk about it.

“I think I could do a lot of talking, and say ‘oh, I’m prepared as best I can.’ You can just look at me and see the shape I’m in and how I look and have your own opinion on it. I think that speaks enough,” he said.

“I Know I’m The Champion”

Barrios, on the other hand, is not letting all this attention around Garcia get to his head. Talking at the same press conference, he remained confident in his position as the reigning champion.

“None of it has bothered me. I know I’m the champion for a reason. I know everything I’ve been doing in the gym, everything I’ve been doing to prepare for this fight. I’m not a talker when it comes to all this, but every time I get in the ring I fight, I leave it all in there, and that’s exactly what I’m looking forward to this Saturday,” he said.

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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