Ryan Garcia has revealed he’s signed to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Feb. 21, with the location still to be confirmed. Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) made the announcement Thursday in a video posted to X, holding up what he said was the signed contract.
“My next fight announcement, I got the contract right here like I promised you guys,” Garcia said. “I am going to be fighting for the real WBC championship belt against Mario Barrios Feb. 21. Get ready.”
Garcia Chasing First Win at 147
The bout will mark another attempt by Garcia to establish himself at welterweight. He has never won a fight at 147 pounds and is coming off a defeat to Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May, which followed a no contest against Devin Haney in April 2024.
Garcia originally outpointed Haney in that fight, dropping him three times, but the result was later changed to a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test. A planned rematch fell apart when Garcia lost to Romero, and Haney instead pivoted toward a title shot against Brian Norman Jr. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the WBO welterweight belt.
Barrios’ Run as WBC Champion
Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) enters the fight as the reigning WBC welterweight titleholder. Barrios captured the interim WBC belt at 147 in September 2023 and was later elevated to full champion. Since then, he’s coming off back-to-back draws in 2024 one against Manny Pacquiao in July and another against Abel Ramos in November.
Despite the stalemates, Barrios has remained a steady presence at the top of the division. Now lands a marquee defense against one of the sport’s most polarizing figures.
Conor Benn Lurking in the Background
The matchup also comes amid a flurry of callouts and social media crossfire. After his win over Chris Eubank Jr. on Saturday, Conor Benn publicly called out Barrios, saying he wanted to move back down to 147 pounds after campaigning at middleweight (160 lbs) for their rivalry. In recent days, Benn and Garcia have also gone back and forth online. Both expressing interest in facing one another potentially in the UK down the line. For now, though, Garcia’s focus is on Feb. 21 and a chance to reinvent himself at welterweight by winning his first world title in the division against Mario Barrios.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
