Ryan Garcia is in a must-win situation heading into his fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026. Losing to Barrios will sink Kingry’s already poor ship.
Turki’s Vegas plan hinges on victory
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn says Turki Alalshikh has plans for Ryan (24-2, 20 KOs) to face Conor Benn in a mega-fight on May 5, 2026 in Las Vegas. But for that fight to happen, Garcia needs to defeat Barrios.
Ash Kingry Falls – The rebuild list
- Alexis Rocha
- Ekow Essusman
- Souleymane Cissokho
- Tahmir Smalls
Living Room Training: Red Flag?
Looking at Ryan’s repeated posts of him working out in the living room of his home for the past month, things look bleak for him. He doesn’t show the kind of hunger he once had to train in the gym, work hard and prepare for his fights. He trains like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. years ago before he did the fight against Sergio Martinez.
Ryan isn’t training right, and he’s headed for disaster against Barrios next February. Garcia’s performance in his last fight against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero earlier this year, on May 2, 2025, looked like that of a timid, uninspired fighter. This was not the same Ryan who defeated Devin Haney in 2024 and Oscar Duarte in 2023.
The Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) we saw in his last fight against Manny Pacquiao on July 19 will be too difficult for Ryan Garcia. He’s more willing to engage, take shots, and has enough pop in his punches to beat Ryan.
Result: No Benn, No Haney, No Hype
“When we were in Saudi Arabia last week, His Excellency (Turki Alalshikh) told us, ‘I think the winner of you vs. you, and Garcia-Barrios is the fight. Conor Benn vs. Ryan Garcia on Cinco de Mayo in Las Vegas.’ We’ll fill it up with Brits alone,” said promoter Eddie Hearn DAZN Boxing.
A loss for Ryan to Barrios would kill plans for him to fight Conor Benn and Devin Haney. Garcia would climb his way back to the top as it would be pointless for him to get a third straight title shot after back to back losses.
Last updated on 12/04/2025
