Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia | DAZN - February 21, 2026

[gilgamesh]

It'd be pretty funny if it wound up being a draw, but I figure Ryan will win this.

[Evander]

Hardly shaken to the core on this one

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Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia official for February 21 on DAZN PPV

The expected clash between WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia has been officially announced.

Barrios vs. Garcia is set for February 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show will stream on DAZN, available both as a standalone pay-per-view and included for subscribers of the streaming service’s “Ultimate” package.

Barrios, 29-2-2 (18 KOs), picked up the interim WBC belt at 147lbs in 2023 with a wide decision over former WBA titleholder Yordenis Ugas. He went on to outpoint Fabian Maidana before being upgraded to the primary WBC titleholder in the wake of Terence Crawford’s departure from the division.

Both of Barrios’ defenses have been successful, though both have also been draws. He came up even with Abel Ramos on the November 2024 undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, and had the same result against a comebacking 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao this past July.

Barrios’ two defeats occurred back-to-back against Gervonta “Tank” Davis via 11th-round TKO at junior welterweight in 2021 and a wide decision against Keith Thurman at welterweight in 2022.

Garcia, 24-2 (20 KOs), is returning from a lackluster loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero this past May in a bout with a secondary WBA welterweight belt on the line; Romero has since been upgraded to the primary WBA titleholder. Garcia’s other defeat came against Davis via seventh-round body-shot knockout in 2023.

His best performance between those two defeats was tainted from the start and further sullied afterward. Garcia came in massively overweight for a junior welterweight title fight with Devin Haney in 2024, won a majority decision, and then tested positive afterward for a banned performance-enhancing drug. The result was ultimately nullified and Garcia was suspended for a year.

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Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia official for February: Date, how to watch, more info

Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title against Ryan Garcia.

The long-rumored fight is now official for Saturday, February 21, and will stream live on DAZN, as part of the DAZN Ultimate tier or a pay-per-view charge.

T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the event.

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KO) won the interim WBC belt in 2023 over Yordenis Ugas, and defended successfully in 2024 against Fabian Maidana.

Since then, he’s gone 0-0-2, fighting to draws with veteran fringe contender Abel Ramos and a 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao, who had been inactive for four years. The 30-year-old San Antonio native now has another fight against a marquee name.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KO) has had a rough couple of years. The 27-year-old star, whose social media following has eclipsed his pro boxing achievements to this day, was knocked out by Gervonta “Tank” Davis in 2023, beat Oscar Duarte later that year, and then had a win over Devin Haney in April 2024, which was over-turned after Garcia tested positive for drugs, which came after he’d dramatically missed weight for the fight.

His last appearance was the worst of his career, a listless decision loss to Rolly Romero in May 2025, which saw Romero claim the WBA welterweight title.

Garcia, 27, still hasn’t won a world title in his pro career, and will look to change that in February.

How to watch Barrios vs Garcia
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Streaming: DAZN (Ultimate subscription or pay-per-view)
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

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Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia headlines 'The Ring: High Stakes' on Feb. 21

Mario Barrios will defend his WBC welterweight title against Ryan Garcia on February 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, it was announced on Monday.

The bout between Barrios and Garcia has been in the works since early November, but Monday’s announcement revealed that the fight will headline “The Ring: High Stakes” show on DAZN.

“This is my division, my time, and I’m ready to show the world why the WBC title stays right here,” said Barrios.

“I will be world champion on February 21," countered Garcia.

Barrios and Garcia are both looking to get back into the win column following a recent run of mixed results.

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) is coming off a majority draw in July against Manny Pacquiao, a fight many believed the then-46-year-old Filipino legend won. In his previous fight in November 2024, Barrios was dropped and fought to a split draw against Abel Ramos.

Barrios initially picked up the interim version of the WBC belt in September 2024 courtesy of a unanimous decision win against Fabian Maidana. Barrios was elevated to the sanctioning body’s full titleholder once former undisputed champion Terence Crawford left the division. The 30-year-old San Antonio native is The Ring’s No. 10-rated fighter at 147 pounds. Barrios scored a career-best win against Yordenis Ugas in 2023, and his losses have come against Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.

To prepare for the occasion against Garcia, Barrios has linked up with his rival’s former coach Joe Goossen. Garcia and Goossen had a three-fight run that ended in 2023 following a knockout loss to Gervonta Davis.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) last fought in May on The Ring's Times Square card and suffered a knockdown and unanimous decision defeat against Rolando Romero during his welterweight debut.

The matchup marked Garcia’s first fight since serving a one-year suspension due to testing positive for performance-enhancing drug Ostarine following his three-knockdown, majority decision win against Devin Haney, a result that was later ruled a No Contest.

Garcia has secured only one win since 2023, an eighth-round knockout and career-best victory against Oscar Duarte.

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Garcia to face WBC welterweight champion Barrios

Ryan Garcia will challenge WBC welterweight champion and fellow American Mario Barrios at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on 21 February.

Former interim lightweight champion Garcia, 27, lost against Rolando Romero in May and has not won since December 2023.

Garcia was given a one-year ban for failing a drugs test in 2024 after beating Devin Haney, but the victory was overturned and the fight deemed a no contest.

"I will be world champion on February 21," Garcia said.

Barrios, 30, said: "This is my division, my time, and I'm ready to show the world why the WBC title stays right here."

Barrios was upgraded from interim to full WBC champion in June 2024 and has made two successful defences via draws.

He retained his title with a majority draw against 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao in July.

Barrios has won 29 of his 33 fights, with 18 victories by knockout.

"Becoming WBC welterweight world champion was more than a moment - it was a promise to my family, my city and everyone who believed in the grind when no-one was watching," he said.

"San Antonio built me, and every sacrifice I've made comes with me into that ring."

Garcia's meeting with Haney in April 2024 was scheduled to be for the WBC light-welterweight title, but Garcia missed weight and was not eligible to win the belt.

He has sealed 20 of his 24 victories by knockout.

In December the WBC confirmed Britain's Conor Benn as number one in the welterweight rankings. He could be next in line to face the winner of Barrios-Garcia.

Benn said at the time he would be "watching closely".

"I'll be coming for that belt and Britain will have a new world champion," he said on Instagram.

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Ryan Garcia getting title shot vs. Mario Barrios on Feb. 21

Ryan Garcia will attempt to win his first major world title when he challenges WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios on Feb. 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight will headline "The Ring: High Stakes" on DAZN, The Ring announced on Monday.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) is one of the sport's biggest attractions but has fallen on tough times both in and out of the ring over the past two years. His stunning majority decision win over Devin Haney in 2024 was overturned to a no contest when Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine the day before the fight in a VADA drug test. He was expelled from the WBC by president Mauricio Sulaiman in July 2024 after using racial slurs on social media.

Garcia returned to action as the headliner of the Times Square boxing card against Rolly Romero but was knocked down and dropped a unanimous decision.

Garcia's ban from the WBC was lifted in November 2025, and the two sides went to work to secure the fight.

Although he is winless since a 2023 knockout of Oscar Duarte, has yet to win a fight at welterweight and 1-2 with one no contest since 2022, Garcia will get the opportunity to dethrone the current champion for his next fight.

"I will be World Champion on February 21st," Garcia said in a statement.

Fighting out of San Antonio, Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) won the vacant WBC interim title in 2023 when he defeated Yordenis Ugas and was elevated to full world champion in May 2024 after Terence Crawford moved up to junior middleweight to defeat Israil Madrimov. However, since becoming recognized as WBC champion, Barrios has gone 0-0-2 in his next two fights. He had a split draw with Abel Ramos in November 2024 on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and escaped with a controversial majority draw last July against Manny Pacquiao. His two losses were against world champions Keith Thurman and Gervonta Davis.

"San Antonio built me, and every sacrifice I've made comes with me into that ring," Barrios said in a statement. "This is my division, my time, and I'm ready to show the world why the WBC title stays right here."

[NazNaci1]

Garcia will be too quick and with speed comes power - if he fights with any motivation.

I see him stopping Barrios.

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[Sendo Takeshi]

Russel vs Hiraoka makes this card very solid, but why would you announce a title fight only a month before it happens?..

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Russel vs Hiraoka makes this card very solid, but why would you announce a title fight only a month before it happens?..

I mean it was always gonna happen.

Was supposed to happen in October wasn’t it.

And they do say they would reschedule it.

So anyone should have anticipated.

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UNDERCARD FEATURES TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS

A pair of 140-pound world title fights top the undercard of Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia on February 21.

Richardson Hitchins will defend his IBF title against Oscar Duarte in the co-feature, while the long-awaited bout between WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell and mandatory challenger Andy Hiraoka is also on the card. Frank Martin vs. Nahir Albright and Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Sena Agbeko round out the undercard.

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) and Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) will meet in the main event of The Ring: High Stakes for Barrios’ WBC welterweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on DAZN PPV.

Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a dominating eighth-round stoppage of former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos in his first title defense on June 14 in New York. The Brooklyn, New York, native won the title via a split decision victory over Liam Paro in 2024.

Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) will be getting his first shot at a world title against Hitchins. The rugged, come-forward pressure fighter from Mexico, has won four straight fights since an eighth-round knockout loss to Garcia in 2023. Duarte enters the clash against Hitchins on the heels of a majority decision victory over Kenneth Sims Jr.

Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) and Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs) were scheduled to fight on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis on Nov. 14 in Miami before Davis’ legal troubles caused the whole card to be postponed. Russell, a dynamic southpaw from Capitol Heights, Maryland, won the title in his last fight with a thorough beating of Jose Valenzuela on March 1.

Hiraoka of Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, who is a towering 5-foot-11½, will be fighting for the first time in 17 months when he steps into the ring against Russell. The Japanese southpaw is coming off a ninth-round stoppage of Ismael Barroso to become the mandatory challenger for the WBA title.

Martin (19-1, 13 KOs) and Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) enter their match coming off impressive wins. Martin delivered a knockout of the year contender with his devastating fourth-round stoppage of Rances Barthelemy on Dec. 6. Albright upset the previously unbeaten Kelvin Davis with a majority decision win on June 7.

Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KOs) enters the clash versus Agbeko after a dramatic unanimous decision over Darius Fulghum. The southpaw from Uzbekistan dropped Fulghum (14-1-1, 12 KOs) in the final round to win 114-112 on all three scorecards.

Agbeko (29-4, 23 KOs), of Accra, Ghana, last fought in 2024, defeating Pierre Williams by first-round knockout. In the two fights preceding, he suffered second-round stoppage losses to David Morrell and Osleys Iglesias.

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Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia undercard lineup

Richardson Hitchins will defend his IBF super lightweight (140 lbs) title against Oscar Duarte. Hitchins (20-0, 8 KO) will be a clear favorite here, but Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KO) has won four in a row and, as much as anyone does, has earned a shot at this belt, he did what was asked.

Gary Antuanne Russell will defend the WBA super lightweight title against Andy Hiraoka. This fight was meant to happen in December, back when Jake Paul was still scheduled to “fight” Gervonta Davis, but we’ll get it in February instead. Russell (18-1, 17 KO) hasn’t fought since taking that belt from Jose Valenzuela, and it will be just shy of a year out of the ring when he fights next month, but that’s pretty tame for a Russell, honestly. Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KO) has built up his record against largely soft opposition in Japan, and this will be a chance for him to prove he’s the world class fighter he says he is.

Former lightweight titlist Frank Martin (19-1, 13 KO) will return to face Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KO) in another 140 lb bout, this one set for 10 rounds. Martin fought in early December, beating Rances Barthelemy after 18 months on the sidelines following his loss to Tank Davis in 2024. Albright is coming off of a win over Kelvin Davis, which was kinda framed as an upset but wasn’t, and then a post-fight scuffle backstage with Kelvin’s brother, Keyshawn, whom he’d faced in his prior bout in 2023. So this will be the first time in nearly three years that Albright has fought someone outside of the Davis family.

Bektemir Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KO) faces Sena Agbeko (29-4, 23 KO) in a super middleweight fight. Melikuziev has won nine straight following his one-punch stunner loss to Gabe Rosado almost five years ago, including beating Rosado in a rematch, but the matchmaking continues to be pretty cautious for the 29-year-old Uzbek, as Golden Boy try to guide him into a world title fight without taking a huge risk. Agbeko is a decent fighter, but was stopped in two by both David Morrell and Osleys Iglesias in 2023-24; those are two really good fighters, but still, he doesn’t have a notable win since 2022, and his two most recent victories both came in two different Sioux City locations, one in Iowa and one in Nebraska, and he hasn’t fought since 2024.

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Garcia was hit with a $5,000 fine and a warning of further disciplinary action after failing to meet the initial deadline for his 14-day WBC mandatory safety rule

[Sendo Takeshi]

Very unprofessional. Is this gonna be a repeat of the Haney fight?
I hope Barrios smokes him.

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Fight Week!

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Irritated Duarte Determined To Silence Talkative Hitchins

Normally, his opponents either laugh off Hitchins’ remarks or pay them no mind. Oscar Duarte, however, has taken offense to Hitchins’ trash talk.

“You talk a lot of s***,” Duarte said during a video posted on his Instagram account. “I’m ready for you. I’ll see you in the fight.”

Brooklyn’s Hitchins, time and time again, has promised to embarrass Duarte on “The Ring: High Stakes” undercard Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The loquacious, 28-year-old IBF junior welterweight champion made some of those same promises to George Kambosos. And, to his credit, he delivered.

But while Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) went on a victory lap following that eighth-round stoppage June 14, Duarte kept a close eye on him. In what now appears to be a calculated move, the highly ranked contender grabbed a majority decision win over Kenneth Sims, who, like Hitchins, is a pure boxer.

Originally, Hitchins, The Ring’s No. 2 ranked 140-pound contender, was hoping to get his hands on a bigger name, mainly the likes of Devin Haney, Keyshawn Davis or Ryan Garcia.

Duarte’s star doesn’t shine quite as bright as those aforementioned names. With that said, he hopes Hitchins isn’t taking him lightly.

“Train hard, I’m ready for my belt,” Duarte said.

Those verbal threats are something Hitchins has grown accustomed to over the years. He merely brushes them off and often boxes his way to a clean decision.

This time around, however, Mexico’s Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) promised he won’t allow the judges to determine the result of their fight.

“I don’t think he can hang with me for the 12 rounds,” Duarte told Xicana Boxing. “I’m going to go like a train, run him over, run through him.”

DAZN will distribute “The Ring: High Stakes” to non-subscribers on pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. The show is included in DAZN’s Ultimate monthly plan for subscribers ($44.99; £24.99).

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Abel Ramos: Ryan Garcia Underestimates 'Big Welterweight' Mario Barrios

Ramos was a welterweight for seven years by the time he battled Barrios for the WBC belt in November 2024, yet even he was taken aback by his size once they entered the ring. That will be a significant hindrance, according to Ramos, for the shorter Garcia, who hasn’t experienced any success as a full-fledged welterweight.

“That’s a big advantage [for Barrios],” Ramos told The Ring. “Barrios is big, man. He’s a big welterweight. When I used to look at tapes when I was gonna fight him, he didn’t look that big. But in person, he towered over me. On fight night, he puts on weight, too. He’s more natural at that weight.”

Ramos, who fought Barrios to a split draw, also gathers Garcia is overconfident in advance of their main event on “The Ring: High Stakes” card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Barrios stands 6 feet, approximately three inches taller than the fast-handed, strong Garcia, and has competed six times at the welterweight limit.

“Barrios is being underestimated,” Ramos said. “He’s tall, he’s lanky, he’s big, he puts on a lotta weight on fight night. So, that’s something Ryan is overlooking.”

DraftKings lists Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs), of Victorville, California, as more than 2-1 favorite to beat Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs). San Antonio’s Barrios has taken offense to the perception that he is the easiest mark among boxing’s four welterweight titleholders, something Ramos disputed.

“It’s looking like a 50-50 fight to me,” Ramos said. “I’m gonna lean towards Barrios a little bit because of the type of fighters he fought. And basing it on their last performances as well, I think Barrios did a little better than Ryan did against Rolly [Romero]. I’m leaning towards Mario a little bit more, and hopefully I can get the winner of that match.”

Garcia was an 11-1 favorite over Romero (17-2, 13 KOs), who knocked him down in the second round and won by unanimous decision in the main event of The Ring’s card May 2 in New York.

Garcia, 27, will fight for the first time since Romero upset him. Barrios, 30, has settled for draws in his past two fights, most recently with Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao (62-8-3, 39 KOs), who was 46 when they met July 19 at in Las Vegas.

Ramos and Barrios each scored knockdowns during their thoroughly entertaining bout on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard in Arlington, Texas. Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs), of Casa Grande, Arizona, is set to end a 15-month layoff February 28, when he is scheduled to face Philadelphia’s Tahmir Smalls (16-0, 11 KOs) on the Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo Nunez undercard at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

DAZN will stream the Navarrete-Nunez card to all subscribers.

The streaming service will also distribute “The Ring: High Stakes” to non-subscribers on pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. The card headlined by Barrios-Garcia is included in DAZN’s Ultimate monthly plan for subscribers ($44.99; £24.99).

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Ryan Garcia promises a masterclass against Mario Barrios

Garcia promised to deliver one of his best performances against the WBC welterweight champion in the main event of "The Ring: High Stakes" on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena on DAZN PPV. “Ferociousness,“ Garcia told The Ring on Wednesday. “A great fight [and a] masterclass and Ryan Garcia classic. Trust me when I say that. You’ll remember this as a Ryan Garcia classic.”

The undercard features a pair of 140-pound world title bouts, with IBF champion Richardson Hitchins facing Oscar Duarte and WBA titleholder Gary Antuanne Russell making the first defense of his belt against Japan’s Andy Hiraoka.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) enters the clash off an upset unanimous decision defeat to WBA welterweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero on May 2. The 27-year-old from Victorville, California, will be in his second fight at welterweight and seeking his first win since 2023, when he knocked Duarte out in the eighth round.

As a full-fledged welterweight, Garcia said there's a difference between this camp and when he faced Romero.

“It’s a complete [180],” he said. “Things were done in order [and] done right. This is what it should feel like before a fight — confident and prepared and ready to do my job.”

Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs), 30, is making the third defense of his belt. The San Antonio native is coming off back-to-back draws, with the latter coming July 19 vs. former eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao. Garcia’s former trainer, Joe Goossen, will be in Barrios’ corner for the first time. Garcia and Goossen went 2-1 together.

While Garcia insisted the fight isn’t personal, he also said a win would have a little more meaning beyond being his first world title.

“It makes it that much more satisfying when I do win,” Garcia said. “Especially that whole squad, I know they really think they're gonna do something. It's one of those things when you're playing your own teammate, or you're facing your brother, and you just want to whoop their ass a little bit more.”

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Live Presser

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Frank Martin vs Nahir Albright weigh-in results (142lbs limit):

Frank Martin - 140.5lbs
Nahir Albright - 142lbs