Ryan Garcia is a world champion.
The 25-year-classic delivered a dominant performance on Sunday, February 21, 2026, defeating Mario Barrios by unanimous decision to claim the WBC welterweight championship in front of a packed crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The victory marks a significant milestone in Garcia’s career, solidifying his place among boxing’s elite.
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The judges’ scorecards reflected Garcia’s control throughout the fight: 119-108, 120-107, and 118-109.
Garcia, delivering arguably his most impressive performance to date, dropped Barrios in the first round with a powerful overhand right, immediately setting the tone for the remainder of the bout.
Despite being the smaller fighter, Barrios attempted to pressure Garcia, but the challenger expertly utilized his speed and combinations to consistently land punches and evade danger.
Garcia established his speed advantage early, repeatedly connecting with rapid-fire combinations that Barrios struggled to answer.
While known for his left hook, it was Garcia’s right hand that proved particularly damaging against Barrios on Sunday.
“The look of shock from Mario Barrios when he got hit with that right hand!” exclaimed commentator Chris Mannix shortly after the first-round knockdown.
His co-analyst added, “Barrios is a sucker for that right hand. Garcia is beating him up with one hand!”
Barrios, making his fourth defense of the title, showed resilience to remain on his feet despite absorbing consistent punishment in the later rounds.
Following the fight, Garcia celebrated with his father and coach, Henry.
“This is great, I’ve dedicated this to my dad, though,” Garcia said.
“It was like it was written on a story,” he continued. “It’s something I wouldn’t seek any other way. It’s a special relationship with your father.
“If you’ve got your dad – inform him you love him. I love you with all my heart.”
Bout ends in draw after massive late punch | 00:39
Garcia didn’t hesitate to call out his next opponent.
“You know who I want, Shakur Stevenson let’s go,” he said.
“I want to be a great champion. I’m not scared. I’ll fight Devin Haney, I’ll fight Shakur Stevenson. Let’s go.”
Garcia explained why he believes he would be successful against Stevenson.
“You’ve got to have some kind of punching power to get me off you,” he said.
“I’m not going to hit him light. I want that fight. Shakur let’s get it. I want that work.”
Earlier in the evening, a scheduled fight was cancelled when IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins was ruled out of his co-main event title defense against Oscar Duarte due to illness.
Hitchins and Duarte had both weighed in earlier in the day, coming in within ten pounds of the 140-pound weight limit: Hitchins at 149.4 pounds and Duarte at 149.6 pounds.
Bektemir Melikuziev Wins by TKO | 00:33
Hitchins, who was aiming for his second title defense after winning the title from Liam Paro in December 2024, had previously stopped George Kambosos in June.
His second title defense will now be postponed.
Fight Stopped! Jones gets the TKO win | 00:47
