Ryan Garcia announces WBC welterweight title clash against Mario Barrios

Ryan Garcia has taken to his social media to confirm that he will be fighting Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on February 21st, 2026.

After teasing a fight announcement via X, Ryan Garcia took to his Instagram to confirm that he will be fighting Mario Barrios in February.

In a 40-second long video, accompanied by a WBC strap and a supposed contract, Garcia said: “Signed. I am going to be fighting for the real WBC championship belt against Mario Barrios, [on] February 21st. Get ready, because I am coming. Let’s go!”

The announcement comes just days after trading words with Conor Benn on social media, stating that he "would love to make it 3-0" against "Mr Eddie Hearn" and claiming that a UK fight has always been a "dream" of his.

Despite this discourse and Garcia's willingness to take the Benn fight, he's now set for a welterweight title fight against Barrios.

Garcia's clash with Devin Haney, in April, 2024, was declared a no contest after initially winning the fight via majority decision. He returned to the ring in May, 2025, to fight Rolando Romero, in which he left much to be desired on the night and lost via unanimous decision after being knocked down during the fight.

His impending February opponent, Mario Barrios, has retained the WBC welterweight title on two occasions, despite drawing both fights.

His most recent draw came against the returning Manny Pacquiao, in which one judge scored the contest 115–113 for Barrios, while the other two judges scored it 114–114.

There is an argument to be made that Garcia is undeserving of a title clash, having won just one of his last four fights, but there's undoubtedly a talented fighter in there and he'll be keen to re-establish his name in the welterweight division after an unsteady few years.

As for Conor Benn, both Garcia and Barrios had been mentioned as potential opponents after beating Chris Eubank Jr to end their long-standing rivalry, so he'll now have to turn his attention elsewhere if he seeks an immediate title fight.

Ellis Statham

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