WBC 147-pound champion Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) went face-to-face at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA to discuss their February 21 showdown, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Despite getting clearly defeated by Rolly Romero in his last outing, Garcia is getting a title shot.
In the lead-up to his with Romero, Garcia was subdued and appeared to be in a good place, both mentally and physically. However, he lost that fight. In the lead-up to the fight with Devin Haney, Garcia was acting erratically, but he put on a great performance and won. Ultimately, the fight was ruled a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for a banned substance.
For this fight against Barrios, Garcia says he is full of life and energy, which he believes makes him dangerouns.
“My energy speaks for itself,” Garcia said. “I try to tell people, when I’m quiet, not interested, that’s when you have to worry. When I’m on it, posting it, and excited about something, that’s when you have to be careful. At the end of the day, I know what I went through after the [Devin] Haney situation, and it took a toll on me. They wanted me to try and force a fight, and my performance showed. In order to be a great quarterback like Tom Brady, you have to forget what happened and focus on the next play. I have to go out and go grab that title. I’m hungry, I’m excited, and I’m ready to put on a show. I actually have to be way more careful fighting him because if I’m sleeping, he’ll beat my a**. I’m super locked in, and you’ll see the best version of myself.”
Barrios, who went life and death with a 47-year-old Manny Pacquiao in his last outing, which ended in a draw, is vulnerable, and some believe he doesn’t deserve to have a belt, but according to Barrios, that’s not something he thinks about.
“I don’t think much into it,” Barrios said. “I stay quiet, work, and do my job. Whether you like me or not, you’re going to see me on these big cards fighting in these big venues. That’s exactly why I am where I am. It’s been quite the journey, but I still have a lot to do. I’m just thankful and happy to be here.”
For this fight, both Barrios and Garcia will have new trainers. Barrios will be trained by Joe Goosen, who trained Garcia in his knockout loss to Gervonta Davis, and who Team Garcia accused of leaking information to Davis’ camp. Garcia, who will be reunited with his father, Henry Garcia, was hurt about how things ended with Goosen.
“It hurt me when he didn’t show up after my Tank [Davis] loss,” Garcia said. “That was a pretty big defeat, and I didn’t see him after the fight. Before that camp, he was pretty cool. We had a lot of great moments, and that’s where you build a relationship with your coach. It shifted when a big-money fight comes along and a lot of people are involved. I’m a little disappointed in his decision to go against me, but that’s what fires me up.”
Look, this is a great opportunity for the wildly popular Garcia to win his first-ever world title. If he doesn’t win, it would be a huge setback.
Photos: Golden Boy Promotions
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