Ryan Garcia beats Mario Barrios and becomes new WBC welterweight champion
ryan garcia knocked down Mario Barrios inside the first 30 seconds and went on to a dominant unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, securing his first major world title and altering the trajectory of a comeback that had been marked by a ban and a defeat. The victory matters because it crowns a fighter who has both power and recent controversy now as WBC welterweight champion.
Title, record and knockout power
Garcia became the new WBC welterweight champion with a win that improved his record to 25 victories and two defeats. He has sealed 20 of his 25 wins by knockout, a figure that underlined the expectations for his power at welterweight as he claimed a full world title for the first time.
Knockdown inside 30 seconds and 12 rounds of control
The 27-year-old American dropped his fellow American Mario Barrios with a right hand during the opening round within the first 30 seconds, then remained in control for the full 12 rounds. The judges returned a lopsided set of cards: 119-108, 120-107 and 118-109, handing Garcia a unanimous decision and the WBC belt.
Ryan Garcia's post-fight callout and exchange with Shakur Stevenson
In his post-fight interview, Garcia called out newly crowned WBO super-lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, who was in attendance at T-Mobile Arena. Garcia said, "You know who I want, he's right there. Shakur Stevenson, let's go!" Stevenson, 28, smiled, nodded his head and clapped. Garcia added: "I want to be a great champion, I'm not scared. I fought Devin Haney. I'll fight you, Shakur Stevenson. I'll fight anybody. " When told Stevenson had said he was "levels above" him right now, Garcia replied: "You've got to have some type of punching power to get me off you, because it'll just be a different style - and I'm not going to hit him light. "
What led to this night: ban, overturned result and recent defeats
Garcia's road to the title included a one-year ban after failing a drugs test in 2024; that positive test followed his win over Devin Haney, and the victory was later overturned and recorded as a no contest. He also suffered setbacks in the ring: the win over Barrios was his first since a shock points loss to Rolando Romero last year. He returned to challenge Romero for the WBA (regular) welterweight title this past May at Times Square and lost a decision. Garcia has said he sustained a hand injury going into the Romero bout and required surgery afterward, which kept him out of the ring for around nine months and left him with just one bout in the previous 22 months.
Barrios' recent form, draws and the strange pre-fight run
Mario Barrios had been upgraded from interim to full WBC champion in June 2024 and entered Saturday's fight after making two previous successful defences that were decided by draws. Barrios drew with Abel Ramos in November of that year and produced another draw with Manny Pacquiao this past July. The precise age given for Pacquiao in the context is unclear in the provided context. Observers noted before the fight that neither man had had their hand raised in victory in almost two years.
Style notes and punch-output history
Predictions and historical data in the lead-up to the bout flagged low punch outputs for Garcia's recent fights: his contest with Rolando Romero recorded a combined 490 punches in a 12-round fight, the third-lowest total in the tracked history, while the contest with Devin Haney registered 499 punches as the third-fewest for a 12-round bout at the time. Commentary noted both men are tall welterweights who could fight at range, that Barrios is not typically a big puncher, and that Garcia's speed and left hook are central to his offense. After the win, Garcia said he had "hurt him multiple times, " described Mario as "a tough warrior, a fellow Mexican-American, " and acknowledged he had "hurt my right hand, " gave the belt to his father, his head coach, and dedicated the victory to him, calling it special and saying "it feels great, man, but it feels better to be a child of God. "
