Manny Pacquiao has warned Ryan Garcia against falling into the trap of becoming complacent amid his preparations for a clash with Mario Barrios.
It has now been confirmed that the pair will meet on a card on February 21, with Barrios defending his WBC world welterweight title.
The 30-year-old was elevated from interim to full WBC champion in 2024, but has only amassed two draws since being upgraded by the sanctioning body.
The first of which saw him engage in a fiery encounter with Abel Ramos, before defending his title against a 46-year-old Pacquiao in July 2025.
Back then, many expected Barrios to be far too fresh for the Filipino, who ended a four-year hiatus from professional boxing and almost did enough to emerge victorious.
Garcia, meanwhile, has not fought since his shock defeat to Rolando Romero in May, which saw him suffer a second-round knockdown before losing unanimously down the stretch.
Prior to that, the American’s majority decision victory over Devin Haney, which came in April 2024, was later overturned to a no-contest due to Garcia testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance.
It must therefore be said that the 27-year-old hardly comes off a glittering run of results, with his last official win arriving against Oscar Duarte in 2023.
Perhaps that is why Pacquiao has told FightHype that Garcia, regardless of his own self-belief, must ultimately leave no stone unturned during his training camp for Barrios.
“It’s a good fight. Ryan must train hard.”
Garcia is reportedly training under the tutelage of his father, Henry, for this particular camp, while Joe Goossen, Garcia’s former coach, has linked up with WBC champion Barrios.
