Ryan Garcia Captures WBC Title
Ryan Garcia defeated Mario Barrios by unanimous decision to become the new WBC welterweight champion in Las Vegas. Garcia dominated with scores of 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111, advancing to 25-1 (20 KOs) while Barrios drops to 28-3. ESPN's Andreas Hale noted that "boxing is better when Ryan Garcia is on top of his game" following the performance.
- This victory marks Ryan Garcia's first major world title, as his previous reign as the WBC interim lightweight champion in 2021 is not considered a primary world championship. - The win represents a significant comeback for Garcia, whose previous high-profile fight was a seventh-round knockout loss to Gervonta "Tank" Davis in April 2023. - Garcia has competed in multiple weight classes throughout his career, including super featherweight, lightweight, and super lightweight, before moving up to the 147-pound welterweight division. - The welterweight division includes other major champions such as Rolando Romero (WBA), Lewis Crocker (IBF), and Devin Haney (WBO), setting up potential unification bouts. - Mario "El Azteca" Barrios was elevated from interim to full WBC welterweight champion in June 2024 and was defending the title. - Prior to this fight, Barrios was coming off a majority draw against Manny Pacquiao in July 2025. His two previous losses came against Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman. - Following the victory, Garcia called out Shakur Stevenson, who is a champion in the super lightweight division, for a potential future fight.
