Ryan Garcia Drops Mario Barrios, Wins WBC Title

First-round knockdown and disciplined boxing secure welterweight belt

Ryan Garcia outpoints Mario Barrios over 12 rounds to win the WBC welterweight title, scoring a knockdown in the opening minute and widening the gap from there. The judges returned scores of 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109.

The fight shifted 27 seconds in. Garcia stepped in and looped a right hand around the guard that sent Barrios to the canvas. Barrios rose steady, though the early knockdown forced him to chase.

Garcia did not rush. He started with the jab, circled off the line, and stepped in behind the right hand. The left hook was present, though the right hand did most of the damage. In the fifth, another right hand staggered Barrios and forced him to grab. Through the middle rounds, Garcia kept range, reset his feet after combinations, and refused to get squared up along the ropes.

“It wasn’t just a left hook,” Garcia said afterward. “Early in my career, all my knockouts were from the right hand.”

Barrios tried to close distance and work behind his own jab, though he could not hold Garcia in front of him. When he did get close, Garcia slid out and answered with straight shots. The challenger’s body work never took hold, and he struggled to bring sustained pressure.

Garcia believed the finish was there.

“I should’ve had a knockout, but I hurt my right hand,” he said. “I showed my amateur pedigree. I can move, I can box.”

The win also marked a return to his father, Henry Garcia, in the corner.

“It’s like it was written for a story,” Garcia said. “There’s a special relationship with your father.”

Barrios credited the approach.

“He fought very smart, very intelligent.”

Garcia now holds a full belt at 147 pounds. On this night, speed, balance, and punch selection were enough to take the belt decisively.