Mario Barrios set to defend WBC world welterweight title to Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas
Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia set for Las Vegas
WBC world welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) will defend his green and gold championship to challenger Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) on February 21, 2026, at the capacity T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on DAZN PPV.
Both boxers have been beaten twice before.
Barrios has only won three from his last seven contests, suffering back-to-back defeats to Gervonta Davis (TKO-11) and Keith Thurman (UD-12) in 2021 and 2022, respectively. He bounced back to win the WBC Continental Americas title in 2023, then he defeated Yordenis Ugas for the WBC Interim belt, which he defended to Fabian Andres Maidana in 2024.
He was elevated to WBC world welterweight champion, after Terence Crawford moved up to fight Canelo, and defended his belt to Abel Ramos, which ended in a draw. In his next defence, he was held to a draw yet again, this time by a 47-year-old Manny Pacquiao.
Despite two title defences, he is yet to win the world title in the ring.
He gets a third chance to do that against Ryan Garcia.
Aged 27, 'KingRy' has also not been on a winning streak either. The Californian has won just once from his last four fights. He, too, has been bettered by Baltimore's 'Tank' Davis, stopped in seven in 2023.
Garia came back that same year to knock out Oscar Duarte Jurado in eight, then came his crunch WBC super-lightweight clash with longterm rival Devin Haney. Garcia floored 'The Dream' three times in a strong, dominant showing, which he was later found with PEDs in his system and stripped of the win.
Over a year later, following the lift of his suspension, Garcia came back to challenge WBA Regular welterweight champion Rolly Romero only to be decisioned by the underdog.
Garcia's talent is undeniable, it's just his dedication and focus that's questionable.
Barrios will come to the canvas fully prepared and desperate to prove a point, especially as he has already been placed as an underdog by the bookies.
Who is Mario Barrios?
Born on May 18, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, Barrios is of Mexican heritage.
His orthodox style, height of 1.83 meters (6 feet), and a reach of 180 cm (71 inches) have allowed him to excel in both the super-lightweight and welterweight divisions.
He made his professional debut in 2013, accumulating an undefeated record of 25 fights until he won the WBA Regular super-lightweight world title in 2019, by defeating Bortirzhon Akhmedov in an action-packed fight.
His first big test came in 2021 against Gervonta Davis, where he suffered a technical knockout loss in the 11th, but gained elite experience and respect.
The move to the welterweight division was neither immediate nor easy. After a loss to Keith Thurman in 2022, Barrios rebounded with important victories, such as his triumph over Jovanie Santiago, where he won the WBC Continental Americas title, and the conquest of the WBC Interim welterweight title by defeating former Olympic champion Yordenis Ugás.
In May 2024, he defended his interim champion status against Argentine Fabián Maidana. Shortly after, the WBC officially elevated him to welterweight world champion after declaring Terence Crawford “champion in recess.”
Currently, Mario Barrios holds a record of 29 wins (18 by knockout), 2 losses, and 2 draws in 33 fights.
He is trained by Virgil Hunter.
His sister, Selina Barrios, is also a professional boxer.
In an unusual scenario, it was Mario's mum who urged him to take up boxing after she watched Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, also inspired by Christy Martin, too. Isabel Soto took both her children to a San Antonio boxing gym after moving from Wisconsin. Mari was six at the time and picked it up immediately.
Mario's boxing alias is 'El Azteca', due to his pride in his heritage. He said, "Even when I was a kid I was intrigued by my heritage, my culture. I remember when I was in elementary school, I was reading books on the Aztec Empire, the civilization, the indigenous people in America. That's my background and I'm proud of it. I want to represent my people, represent my city. It's going to be a great honour to bring a world title home."
