Ryan Garcia set to return to the ring in a title fight against Mario Barrios

Ryan Garcia will return to the ring nine months after his loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May 2025, and he will do so in a world championship fight against Mario Barrios, the current World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion. The 12-round fight will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on February 21.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia, confirmed the match. The event will be called “The Ring: High Stakes” and will be broadcast on pay-per-view by DAZN.

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) won the WBC welterweight world championship in September 2023 and has defended the title twice, both times in fights that lasted a full 12 rounds. In November 2024, he fought to a split draw against Abel Ramos, and in July 2025, he recorded a majority draw against legendary former world champion Manny Pacquiao.

“This is my division, my moment and I’m ready to show the world why the WBC title stays here,” Barrios said in a statement.

Barrios, who faced Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Keith Thurman, was also a world champion in the welterweight division, where he won the World Boxing Assn. (WBA) in 2019. Before his draws against Pacquiao and Ramos, he defeated Argentina’s Fabián Maidana and Cuba’s Yordenis Ugás, a fight in which he won the vacant WBC title.

For his part, García (27-1, 19 KO) returns after losing to Romero in a fight in which he did not appear to enter the ring in optimal conditions. During that fight, the Victorville native was knocked down in the second round and ended up losing by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Garcia came into this fight with physical issues, getting injured during training camp and having surgery on his right hand after the fight, which kept him out of the ring for months.

“I will be world champion on February 21,” Garcia said in a statement.

Mario Barrios punches Manny Pacquiao during a July fight in Las Vegas. Barrios will next face Ryan Garcia.

(John Locher/Associated Press)

García’s return comes after a turbulent period in his career. In 2024, he defeated Devin Haney by decision in the welterweight division, despite being 3.25 pounds overweight, making him ineligible to compete for Haney’s title. He later tested positive for the banned substance ostarine, leading to the fight being declared a “no contest”, as well as a trial by Haney and a one-year suspension.

Now, Garcia will seek redemption in a new division against an established champion, while Barrios will attempt to reassert his dominance at welterweight against a top opponent.

This item first appeared in Spanish via LA Times in Spanish.