Ryan Garcia spent most of the last few years sabotaging his fight career. He smoked, drank and drugged during training. He went on a bizarre bad behavior spree, lowlighted by a series of racist posts sent out to his many million social media followers, earning sanctions from boxing industry powerhouses. While creating such a sad stir outside the ring, he became a boring fighter and a loser inside it. He went down without a fight against Rolly Romero in a Times Square fiasco last spring, a bout that was supposed to reintroduce him as a viable world title contender, and before this weekend had notched only one official win in the last four years, discounting his non-decision over Devin Haney thanks to a banned substance found in his post-fight pee pee test.
Then, on Saturday night, Garcia threw and landed a big right hand.
Just 25 seconds into his latest comeback fight in Las Vegas, Garcia put welterweight belt-holder Mario Barrios on the canvas with an overhand haymaker that was as fast as it was powerful. The knockdown sent the packed arena crowd into a frenzy. Barrios got up off the canvas after taking the shocking blow, and even survived to the final bell, likely thanks to a hand injury Garcia suffered while pounding on the overmatched champ’s noggin in the early rounds. But Garcia won by a lopsided and unanimous decision, taking his first title along the way.
Because this is boxing, a sport where public mental breakdowns, failed drug tests, and gutter racism aren't likely to end anyone's career, Garcia is once again a top draw. Maybe the top draw.
Even Garcia, at 27, knew he’d used up all his boxing lives heading into the Barrios bout. “It’s either gonna be my burial or my resurrection,” he said in a recent DAZN interview. He was lucid and engaged during that sit-down, as he was throughout the press tour promoting the fight. He looked oh-so-fast during training sessions, and fit enough for a Milan runway or a health magazine cover. He made weight easily last week, something nobody familiar with Garcia’s dark days decorum was taking for granted. All the recent decency and blatant normalness from Garcia makes one wonder exactly what was going on in his head and going into his bloodstream back when everything was falling apart.
Garcia stayed disciplined and focused through fight night. He had brought his dad, Henry Garcia, who had been Ryan’s primary trainer from when he started boxing at seven years old until 2022, back to lead his corner to face Barrios. Garcia’s left hook, which knocked Haney down multiple times in their 2024 Brooklyn bout, was always seen as his main and perhaps only real weapon. But clearly the reunited father/son pair had worked on expanding his arsenal in camp. When the opening bell sounded, Garcia only used his mighty left to jab and as a decoy, and was actually pawing at Barrios with it when he unloaded the right hand bomb that landed with shocking force high on the champ’s head and laid him out. Garcia continued feeding Barrios a strict diet of right hands for several more rounds, landing a brutal body shot that put Barrios down again in the sixth round. Referee Tom Taylor ruled incorrectly that Barrios was felled by a push, even though the punch left Barrios wearing a facial expression similar to what Lee Harvey Oswald wore after taking Jack Ruby’s lead to the breadbasket. Garcia didn’t showboat or lose concentration at any point in the bout, though at one point after the result was clearly in hand, he took a brief break from beating up Barrios to yell mean things at former trainer Joe Goossen, now working with Barrios.
Along with the new weaponry and self control, Garcia flaunted drastically improved defensive skills. He made Barrios’s big punches miss so badly and so often that it seemed like Garcia knew they were coming before Barrios threw ‘em. Garcia was essentially untouchable. The combination of taking so many combinations from Garcia and an inability to counter appeared to sap Barrios’s will fairly early; he provided only a little more movement than a heavy bag in the gym would have. For better or worse, Barrios showed he could absorb as much punishment as a bag, also.
Late in the fight, Henry Garcia, wanting his son to end the night early and remind fans that he’s got two hands, told him in between rounds, “That left hook is ready!” But Garcia the younger never unleashed his usual weapon of choice.
Goossen, meanwhile, told Barrios after the ninth round what the fighter and everybody watching the one-sided slugfest already knew: “You got 3 rounds to knock him out!” Goossen yelled. Barrios got off his stool and stayed game but continued taking more of a beating than he was capable of dishing out. In the end, the scorecards read 120-107, 118-109, and 119-108, all for Garcia. Judge Steve Weisfeld somehow gave Barrios the last two rounds, perhaps out of pity.
Garcia’s boffo bout seemed to re-energize the entire fight game, at least for a night. Shakur Stevenson, who put on such a masterclass at Madison Square Garden against Teofimo Lopez just three weeks ago that finding any opponent at 140 pounds would be hard, was suddenly talking about going up in weight to get a piece of Garcia and the big box office that fight would bring in. Stevenson got the shit-talk started early by referencing Garcia’s druggie past while teasing a match against the new champ: “If he’s fighting me next, [Voluntary Anti-Doping Association] will be involved,” Stevenson said.
Connor Benn, currently the most popular fighter in boxing-mad Britain, also loudly proclaimed he wants a dance with Garcia in 2026. “Make sure you keep my belt warm,” Benn taunted over social media.
And everybody else who follows the sweet science was saying this opens the door for a Garcia rematch with Haney, which would have oodles of built-in sub-plots for both fighters, mainly revenge for Haney and a chance for Garcia to show he can win without cheating. Of all the suitors, Haney's the one in Garcia’s suddenly clear head right now.
When asked at his press conference who got next, Garcia said, “I just want to beat Devin Haney’s ass bad.” Then he walked off the stage.
