Garcia dethrones Barrios to capture WBC welterweight belt

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

“Uncrowned King” no more.

After 10 years of waiting, Ryan Garcia finally reaped the fruits of his labor, bagging his first-ever major boxing title in a lopsided victory over Mario Barrios to claim the World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight belt on Feb. 22, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Garcia not only showed up to get that bag.

He dominated, outclassed and ousted Barrios from his throne in one of the most one-sided beatings to ever take place in a title bout in the sweet science.

The official ringside judges’ scorecards pretty much summed up the outcome of the fight, as Garcia had another day in the office with a unanimous 120-107, 119-108, 118-109 victory to reset a new reign in the welterweight division.

Garcia smelled blood early in the first round after stunning the Las Vegas crowd with a quick knockdown, dropping Barrios with a precise overhand right in just the first 30 seconds of the opener.

After that shocking sequence, Barrios was never the same.

Lost, rattled and out of focus, the popularly known pressure fighter instantly became a hitting target and grew more conscious of Garcia’s incoming flurries.

Barrios never dictated the pace during the whole fight. For 12 straight rounds, Garcia came in hotter as the match progressed, showcasing his improved arsenal by unleashing his new weapon — the right hand.

Not known for his sharp and accurate right punches, Garcia left a mark in the boxing world after decimating Barrios with his off-hand, including the overhand punch that knocked the latter down in the first round.

When Barrios tried to switch things up in the sixth round by targeting Garcia’s body, the quicker and slicker boxer had no problems taking the hit, proof of his elevated conditioning and intensive three-month training camp.

In the last two championship rounds, Barrios never damaged Garcia, despite intensifying the pressure in hopes of a miraculous knockout to salvage his poor outing.

With the win, Garcia improved his professional boxing record to 25 wins, 20 knockouts and two losses, while Barrios slid to 29 wins, 18 knockouts and three losses.

“It was one of the ones I wanted to show my whole arsenal,” Garcia said after winning the belt.

“I believe it was a masterclass, but I should have gotten the knockout. I have to grade myself on that. My right hand was working really good today.”