The long-rumored showdown between Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios is now official.
The pair will lock horns for Barrios’ WBC welterweight title on Feb. 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Barrios vs. Garcia will be a Turki Alalshikh-funded Ring Magazine event available to watch exclusively on DAZN via DAZN pay-per-view and DAZN Ultimate.
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Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) was knocked down by Rolando “Rolly” Romeo in Round 2 of his WBA “regular” welterweight title challenge in May, and went on to lose a listless 12-round unanimous decision in a major upset. The bout marked the first time Garcia competed for a world title. He was scheduled to challenge Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight title in 2024, however Garcia missed weight by 3.25 pounds, rendering Haney’s championship no longer on the line.
Garcia injured his hand in training prior to the fight with Romero and underwent hand surgery in late May after the bout. He has been out of the ring since.
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Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) was fortunate to escape with a majority decision draw against the legendary Manny Pacquiao in July. Most observers felt Pacquiao had done enough to be crowned the oldest welterweight champion in history, but the 46-year-old was ultimately denied the verdict on the scorecards.
Prior to that, Barrios drew with Abel Ramos on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson undercard. Barrios previously fought Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Keith Thurman, falling short both times.
Conor Benn, who defeated Chris Eubank Jr. in November at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will have his eyes firmly set on the Garcia vs. Barrios winner. The WBC named Benn as the mandatory challenger for the title at their convention in December.