Ryan Garcia captured his first major world title by winning the WBC welterweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia dropped Barrios in Round 1 with an overhand right and dominated Barrios the rest of the fight to win by scorecards of 119-108, 120-107 and 118-109.
Garcia (25-2, 20 KOs) previously claimed the WBC interim lightweight title in 2021 with a stoppage of Luke Campbell. He appeared to earn the biggest win of his career in April 2024 when he defeated Devin Haney by majority decision — a bout in which Garcia failed to make weight and was ineligible to win the WBC junior welterweight belt — but he tested positive for a banned substance and the result was overturned to a no-contest. Garcia then fell short in a bid for the WBA “regular” welterweight title, losing a decision to Rolando “Rolly” Romero last May.
