Coach Bob Santos doesn’t sell hope. He makes a comparison. In his opinion, Mario Barrios beats Ryan Garcia if the real version of Barrios shows up. If the wrong one does, the fight quickly escalates. Either way, Santos sees this fight less as a coronation for Garcia and more as a test he has yet to pass.
Santos is no longer in Barrios’ corner. Barrios moved on to Joe Goosen for this camp, the same trainer Garcia worked with earlier in his career. Santos now speaks from the outside, but from a position of familiarity. He knows which version of Barrios exists, even though he is no longer responsible for bringing it out.
Santos points to the Barrios, which Yordenis Ugas elaborated in 2023. This version, he says, wins about thirty-five to thirty-five. The edge comes from control. Distance. The ability to stay calm when the fight slows down and still do something useful when it needs to change. Santos is equally blunt about the alternative. Barrios, who had drawn with Manny Pacquiao and Abel Ramos through twelve rounds, turns it into a straight fifty-fifty.
Garcia enters the fight with less evidence than profile. He’s coming off a loss to Rolando Romero, and Santos is reading that as pressure rather than momentum. Speaking to MillCity Boxing, Santos viewed the fight as a line in the sand for Garcia. Not in the dramatic sense. In the practical one. Lose here, and the excuses run out.
Garcia’s career will not collapse with a defeat. The sport no longer punishes marketable fighters like that. What would suffer is the road to a lucrative match with WBC mandatory Conor Benn. That battle relies on timing and perception. A loss to Barrios makes it harder to sell as a meaningful move, even if promoters can still push it to casual fans.
For Santos, it comes down to experience. Garcia has never held a world title and hasn’t faced the same series of problems. Barrios did. Size, patience and the ability to do different things all lean his way as he commits to fighting instead of drifting. It’s not about speed or hype. It’s about who can work when the plan stops working. If Barrios fights like a pro, Garcia is in for a long night.
Barrios also fought better in his loss to Gervonta Davis than Garcia did. He shared the ring with Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao, Yordenis Ugas and Abel Ramos. The experience edge is heavy.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Related Boxing News:
Last updated on 01/09/2026
