Ryan Garcia beat Mario Barrios handily in Las Vegas to become WBC Welterweight World champion. Devin Haney – perhaps Garcia’s biggest rival, certainly his most bitter – was watching closely.
Barrios had no answers for a dialled in Garcia, who dominated proceedings from start to finish with a knockdown in the first and very little to worry about through 12. The 27-year-old joins Lewis Crocker, Rolando Romero and Haney among the division’s titleholders.
Taking to X post-fight, Haney cast up the new titlist’s past failed doping test, unwilling to give him clean credit.
“Ryan off that good juice.”
Ryan off that good juice
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) February 22, 2026
Haney’s reaction stems from Garcia testing positive for Ostarine after their fight. Despite claiming innocence, what was initially an upset points win for Garcia was overturned to a no contest and he served a one-year doping ban.
A rematch between the pair now becomes a unification and thus more intriguing. Though the loss was scrubbed from Haney’s record, he was floored three times during the fight and will be keen to put up a better account of himself if they face off at welterweight – a more comfortable division for both, as evidence by Haney’s impressive win over Brian Norman Jr in November of last year to become the WBO champion.
Garcia, however, has another target higher on his list. Post-fight, he called out Shakur Stevenson, and the recently crowned four-weight world champion has made no secret he is keen on accepting. Stevenson then laid out two conditions: a 144lbs catchweight and Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency testing.
