Ryan Garcia has the chance to become world champion for the first time in his career on Saturday. Garcia will face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in a high-stakes showdown from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia is one of boxing’s top stars, though various missteps have set his career back at multiple times. After starting his career 23-0, Garcia was dominated by Gervonta “Tank” Davis before Davis scored a seventh-round knockout with a body shot. Two fights later, Garcia put on a career-best performance, knocking down WBC junior welterweight champion Devin Haney multiple times en route to a majority decision victory. Unfortunately, Garcia missed weight for the bout, seemingly not even attempting to make the junior welterweight limit after months of apparent struggles with a mental illness episode playing out on social media. Compounding those issues, Garcia failed his drug test for the fight and the result was overturned to a no-contest.
Garcia followed up his suspension from the failed drug test with a listless performance against Rolando Romero, dropping the fight by a clear unanimous decision.
Ryan Garcia looks to bounce back from uninspired loss when he faces Mario Barrios: ‘Do or die moment’
Brian Campbell
Barrios has also been uneven in his performances in recent years. He was competitive with Davis in their 2021 fight before suffering a knockout in Round 11. That fight was followed by a loss to Keith Thurman. After rattling off a three-fight winning streak that saw him capture the WBC interim welterweight title, Barrios was promoted to full champion, where he has successfully defended his title against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao, though both defenses ended in draws.
The undercard on Saturday features plenty of intriguing players in the 140-pound division. WBA junior welterweight king Gary Antuanne Russell gets a tough test from Andy Hiraoka in a featured bout. And former title challenger Frank Martin is in action when he faces Nahir Albright with both men looking to get back to the title level.
Check out how you can watch the action on Saturday night below, but be sure to check out our staff predictions and expert picks for the main event as well.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Who wins Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia on Saturday, and which pick should you target for a huge payday? Visit SportsLine now to see Josh Nagel’s best bets for the Saturday welterweight title bout, all from the combat sports specialist who has covered the sport for more than 20 years, and find out.
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