“Mario [Barrios] vs Ryan Garcia makes a lot of sense. It’s for a world title and brings Ryan right back to that superstar stage.” 

The fight is still in the discussion stage but has already cleared one major hurdle. Garcia, 24-2 (20 KOs), is still not ranked in the WBC’s top 15 at welterweight – or in any division. 

However, the WBC recently announced that they’ve lifted its ban on the popular boxer from Victorville, California. The confirmation, made publicly by its president Mauricio Sulaiman, came just three weeks ahead of the 63rd annual WBC convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

It goes without saying that a motion will be presented for Garcia to re-enter the rankings and qualify as a contender for Barrios’ title. 

Merit will clearly not play a role in that development – Garcia is just 1-2 with one No-Contest over his last four fights. His one win came in a December 2023 knockout of Oscar Duarte, a fight originally contracted for a secondary WBA 140lbs title, only for Garcia to later change it to a 143lbs catchweight. 

His weight – right at that mark – was the heaviest of his career at the time. He has eclipsed that mark in each of his past two starts – only one of which was actually due to take place at welterweight. 

An April 2024 challenge of Devin Haney saw Garcia at his most reckless throughout the promotion. It included his missing weight by 3.2 pounds, which made him ineligible to win the WBC 140lbs title Haney planned to defend atop their DAZN pay-per-view from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Garcia originally won via majority decision, complete with three knockdowns. The verdict was overturned and converted to a No-Decision, however, upon the discovery that Garcia tested positive for Ostarine. He was also issued a one-year suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission. 

It was his subsequent crash out – riddled with racism and other horrific comments – that led the WBC to issue its own ban, while also pleading for the boxer to get help. 

Garcia returned from suspension to headline a May 2 Ring Magazine show outdoors at Times Square in New York City. His performance was as abysmal as was the presentation of the entire card, as he was dropped in the 2nd round by Rolando “Rolly” Romero, who won via unanimous decision in their secondary WBA welterweight title fight. 

His in-ring performances will apparently take a back seat to his box-office appeal as little seems to stand in the way of his next challenging for a major title. 

Besides, De La Hoya dismissed the alarmingly lopsided defeat to Romero as, simply, a bad night for his roster’s most notable boxer. 

“I have all the confidence in the world,” De La Hoya said of Garcia’s potential to rebound from that performance. “Rolly Romero had, I believe, Ryan Garcia’s number that night. But that’s one night. We have 364 more days in the year. One night doesn’t define your career. 

“I think Ryan Garcia can come back. Barrios is the perfect style to make a great fight happen.”

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.