Now that it’s official, predictions will soon be flooding in for Ryan Garcia’s WBC welterweight title challenge against Mario Barrios.
Earlier this week, the expected news was confirmed, as Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) will face Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) on February 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The bout marks Barrios’ third title defence. His previous two defences have been underwhelming, drawing against Abel Ramos and a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao.
Garcia, meanwhile, will make his second consecutive attempt at a world title after a disappointing loss to Ronaldo Romero in May, a performance that raised questions about his readiness at world level.
In the official announcement, Barrios insisted this is his moment to shine, while Garcia simply declared he will become a champion on February 21.
Industry opinion, however, paints a more nuanced picture. Fight Hub TV spoke to 2018 WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter, who after beating Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas lost his belt to Errol Spence Jr in a thrilling unification bout.
Now a popular podcast host, Porter highlighted the likely path to victory in Barrios vs. Garcia — but only if ‘King Ry’ shows up as the sharp, disciplined fighter he is capable of being.
“Ryan did not look good against Rolly Romero. Didn’t look good at all. If Ryan leaves his offence at the gym, if he leaves his offence in the locker room, Mario Barrios is gonna step to him and it’s gonna be a long night for Ryan.
“The other side of that: Ryan’s gotta be fast, because Mario and his team, they’re gonna be prepared for that left hook. They’re gonna be prepared for a lot of the offence that’s coming right at him. Ryan just has to be on point. If Ryan’s on point, he probably will win that fight by knockout. If he wins that fight, it should be by knockout.”
Waiting in the wings for Garcia, should he prevail, is Britain’s Conor Benn, who is believed to be travelling to Las Vegas to be ringside and likely call out Garcia for a title fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
