WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) puts his title on the line against Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) on Saturday, February 21, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The card, titled “The Ring: High Stakes,” streams live on DAZN pay-per-view with the main card starting at 8 PM ET and ring walks for the main event expected around 11 PM ET.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into fight week.
The Odds
Garcia opens as the betting favorite despite not having an official win in over two years. Current lines have Garcia at approximately -225 and Barrios at +170, with the draw listed at +1500. The over/under on total rounds sits at 11.5, with oddsmakers leaning toward this one going the distance.
For context, Garcia was a -700 favorite against Rolando Romero in May 2025 — and lost by unanimous decision. Barrios was a slight favorite against Manny Pacquiao in July 2025 and fought to a majority draw.
Garcia by the Numbers
Garcia’s career knockout rate sits at 83% (20 KOs in 24 wins), but the raw numbers from his recent fights tell a more complicated story.
Against Romero, Garcia landed just 66 total punches across 12 rounds — a historically low output that exposed conditioning and motivation concerns at welterweight. Against Devin Haney in April 2024 (later overturned to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for Ostarine), the numbers were far more impressive: Garcia landed 41% of his power punches and dropped Haney three times, outlanding him nearly 2-to-1 in power shots according to CompuBox. Against Oscar Duarte in December 2023, Garcia landed 70 of 300 total punches (23%) but delivered a fight-ending knockdown in the eighth round. Against Luke Campbell in 2021, he landed 77 of his power shots at a 44% clip, including 32 body shots — one of which ended the fight in the seventh.
The through-line on Garcia: when he’s locked in, his power accuracy is elite. CompuBox ranks him among the fewest opponent power punches landed per round (4.9), meaning opponents historically struggle to land clean on him. But the Romero fight showed that Garcia’s floor can be shockingly low — and his chin has become a question mark, having hit the canvas four times in his last seven fights (Davis, Haney twice via knockdown, Romero).
Barrios by the Numbers
Barrios hasn’t won a fight since his unanimous decision over Yordenis Ugas in September 2024, when he was elevated from interim WBC welterweight champion. Since then, he’s fought to a split draw with Abel Ramos (during which he was knocked down) and a majority draw with Pacquiao, who was returning from a four-year layoff.
At 6’0″ with a 71-inch reach, Barrios holds a significant size advantage. He works behind an educated jab from range and looks to control distance with 1-2 combinations. Against Ugas, that approach worked — he dropped the Cuban twice en route to a clear decision. But the Ramos and Pacquiao fights exposed a tendency to fight conservatively and let opponents back into rounds with low output.
Barrios has recently switched trainers, moving to Joe Goossen — who notably trained Garcia for four fights earlier in his career, including the Tank Davis loss. Make of that what you will.
The Stylistic Matchup
This fight comes down to distance versus explosiveness. Barrios wants to keep Garcia at the end of his jab and control the pace. Garcia wants to close that gap and land his signature left hook — the same punch that dropped Haney three times, stopped Campbell with a body shot, and has been the defining weapon of his career.
Garcia’s defensive vulnerabilities are well-documented. He carries his chin high and stands upright, which is what allowed Tank Davis to land the body shot that ended their fight in 2023. Against a longer, jab-heavy fighter like Barrios, those habits could create openings. But Barrios’ recent fights suggest he may not have the output or urgency to capitalize.
The Full Card
The undercard features two additional world title fights:
- Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) vs. Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) — IBF junior welterweight title
- Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) vs. Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs) — WBA junior welterweight title
- Frank Martin (19-1, 12 KOs) vs. Nahir Albright (17-2, 8 KOs) — junior welterweights
- Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1, 7 KOs) vs. Sena Agbeko (29-4, 17 KOs) — super middleweights
- Amari Jones vs. Luis Arias — middleweights
How to Watch
Barrios vs. Garcia airs live on DAZN pay-per-view on Saturday, February 21, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card begins at 8 PM ET, with ring walks for the main event expected around 11 PM ET. The PPV is priced at $64.99 in the United States.
