5 Burning Questions for Barrios-Garcia
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Ryan Garcia is at a crossroads. After a flat showing against Rolly Romero and his grudge match with Devin Haney being ruled a no contest, Garcia technically hasn’t recorded an official win since December 2023.
Meanwhile, his contemporaries continue to build resumes, collect belts, and strengthen their foothold atop boxing’s deepest divisions.
Now, standing across from him is WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios — a titleholder many view as vulnerable, but still dangerous enough to derail Garcia’s star power if he’s not sharp. For Garcia, this isn’t just another main event. It’s a statement fight. A credibility fight. Possibly even a career-defining fight.
Elsewhere on the card, champions like Gary Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins look to solidify their standing at junior welterweight, while rising contenders attempt to position themselves for major paydays in a stacked 140-pound division.
With stakes high across the board, we ask 5 Burning Questions ahead of Barrios-Garcia:
#1. How important is it for Ryan Garcia to have a good showing and come out victorious against Mario Barrios?
Lee: Ryan Garcia needs to show up and show out against Mario Barrios. Barrios, who didn’t look too good against an old Manny Pacquiao, needs to look good as well. Garcia’s loss against Rolly Romero was stunning because he didn’t look like the guy that dominated Devin Haney Jr.
Garcia needs to show he is still a championship-level fighter in this fight. Barrios isn’t the most explosive fighter but he has talent and is walking around with a title around his waist. Ryan must prove he has the skills to remain a main event caliber fighter.
Evan: I’m in complete agreement with Lee. Garcia is in desperate need of an impressive performance here against Barrios. If he wants to remain fighting on this upper tier, elite level, he must win. While most of his fellow contemporaries in Conor Benn, Devin Haney, Keyshawn Davis, Shakur Stevenson, and Teofimo Lopez have continued to ascend, Ryan has been much more inconsistent.
The wildcard that he has become has made it hard to know what version of Ryan will be showing up from fight to fight. Not being able to beat a very limited offensive, vulnerable, albeit game fighter in Mario, would be majorly concerning for Garcia’s future as a household name. This is about as close as it gets to a do-or-die scenario for the 27-year-old California native.
#2. How detrimental would a loss here be for Garcia’s star power and remaining relevant amongst his peers?
Lee: A loss would definitely hurt his star power as a fighter. But as a personality, he still has over 200K followers on X (Twitter), 12M on Instagram and another 8.6M on Tik Tok. A loss would most likely take a rematch with Haney Jr. off the table and possibly future fights against other big-name fighters.
Sadly, there is a place in boxing for guys who have a name and a following. True boxing fans want to see skills not just a name on a marquee. Evan is going to hate this, but if Garcia loses I see him angling towards a fight with Jake Paul. For that reason alone, I am rooting for Garcia to win this fight.
Evan: I believe losing to Barrios will severely hurt Garcia’s star power and legitimacy within the hardcore fandom. It would pretty much kill any leverage he has in landing potential big money fights like the Haney rematch, a showdown with Stevenson or a meeting with Benn.
Suffering consecutive defeats to fighters of Mario and Rolly Romero’s caliber, would immensely damage his credibility as a marquee talent. With that being said, as much as I continue to not understand why people give Jake Paul the time of day or make him relevant at all, I unfortunately have to second what Lee is saying.
Given the fame Ryan has garnered through social media, he could just pivot to a Paul matchup even if he falters against Barrios. He’ll still have those kinds of options at his disposal no matter the result on Saturday night.
#3. Does a win over Garcia silence doubts about Barrios being a vulnerable or weaker champion?
Lee: Barrios last fought a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao and had to settle for a controversial majority draw to retain his WBC Welterweight Championship. A win over Garcia will change the way he is viewed only if he takes chances and is willing to mix it up inside the squared circle.
Sometimes in boxing, it’s not just about winning or losing, but how you look in the process. Barrios needs to show he is still the guy that beat Yordenis Ugas and not the guy who has two draws in his last two fights. Also, a win would give him a chance to be a unified champion. In other words he could be mentioned for bigger fights in the future.
Evan: I’m on the same page in terms of a victory here will help improve Barrios’ chances to mainly secure more notable matchups going forward. As long as he has that WBC welterweight title, he’ll be able to utilize it as a bargaining chip to entice big named opponents to face him.
The harsh reality though for Mario is, he’s 3-2-2 in his last seven fights. Frankly he’s just a quality fighter, not an elite one or big draw either. Unless trainer Joe Goosen can somehow unlock a new layer of offensive firepower in his game, his reputation will continue to precede him.
Whether he beats Garcia or not, I sadly don’t see that changing all that much for Barrios. The narratives will be more focused on what Ryan didn’t do, rather than what he did to get the win. Plus, I think most of his peers will view him as an easy target to take advantage of regardless of the outcome in this one.
#4. If Gary Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins both win, who’s better positioned for a big-money fight next?
Lee: If Gary Antuanne Russell and Richardson Hitchins both win, the logical move is a unification fight between them. It could easily headline a card.
That said, Russell would be in the better position for a big payday. His last name carries weight in boxing, and his seek and destroy style has produced 17 knockouts in 18 wins. Hitchins is talented. But lately, he has made more noise outside the ring, calling out Keyshawn Davis over an old sparring story and taking shots at Lamont Roach Jr.
Russell does his talking in the ring, and he has already said a win puts him in line to target Dalton Smith and the WBC title.
Evan: I think Lee is right that the best option for both Russell and Hitchins to secure a big money fight, might just be to face one another in a title unification bout. It would be a very important showdown at 140 pounds and provide whoever comes out on top with a ton of momentum going forward.
The winner would have two out of the four major belts in the division. It would set them up nicely to get a huge matchup with WBO and Ring Magazine Champion, Shakur Stevenson. If the Shakur fight doesn’t materialize, the winner could target WBC champion Dalton Smith, as Lee mentioned, or pursue other big names like Keyshawn Davis, Lamont Roach Jr., Pitbull Cruz, and Teofimo Lopez.
#5. Which other fight or fighter on this card should people be paying attention to?
Lee: After praising Russell, I’ll show some love to Richardson Hitchins. I’m looking forward to his fight against Oscar Duarte. Hitchins calls himself a generational talent and carries real confidence. Duarte is a pressure fighter who moves forward, throws in volume, and closes distance at any pace.
Hitchins’ skill is elite, but the question is what happens if he can’t create space. He’s defensive by nature, and this fight may force him to exchange against a tough, relentless Duarte.
Evan: I’m going to pick Frank Martin. After suffering a nasty KO loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis back in June 2024, Martin took a year and half long layoff from competing. He then returned to the ring last December against Rances Barthelemy, moving up a weight class.
Frank bounced back in a big way, notching a KO of the Year candidate highlight reel win in the bout, seemingly finding a new home and life at 140 pounds. The Ghost will now try to build off of that when he takes on a solid challenge in quality veteran Nahir Albright.
Another decisive victory here for Martin would really help continue his rebuild coming off the defeat to Tank, and make him a major contender to lookout for at junior welterweight in 2026. Additionally, Amari Jones and Joshua Edwards are two exciting undefeated American prospects for boxing fans to put on their radars. Both will be in showcase fights on the prelims of this event.
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