Oscar De La Hoya is hopeful that a major title fight will mark the start of big business to be conducted on a regular basis between Golden Boy Promotions and Premier Boxing Champions.
The long-teased Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia clash is finally at the point of confirmation. The WBC welterweight title fight will headline a February 21 show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’ve been busy this week finalizing the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios fight,” De La Hoya stated in a video posted on his social media channels. “Details will be announced Monday.”
TGB Promotions, the primary promoter for PBC, and Golden Boy have a joint hold for T-Mobile Arena on February 21, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
As previously reported by BoxingScene, the event is also expected to carry the Gary Anutanne Russell-Andy Hiraoka WBA 140lbs title fight. Another potential matchup eyed for the card is the long-ago ordered IBF heavyweight title eliminator between Frank Sanchez and Richard Torrez Jnr. PBC is also expected to add another title fight to the bill.
Barrios, 29-2-2 (18 KOs), will attempt his third defense as the full WBC 147lbs titlist. The San Antonio native claimed an interim version of the belt in a lopsided 12-round, unanimous decision over former WBA titlist Yordenis Ugas in September 2023. He was then upgraded shortly after a May 2024 win over Fabian Maidana, upon the divisional exit of undisputed champ Terence Crawford.
Interestingly, Barrios has yet to post a win since the elevated title status. He fought to back-to-back draws with Abel Ramos on the November 2024 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Netflix card, and Manny Pacquiao atop a July 19 PBC on Prime PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Garcia, 24-2 (20 KOs), is granted the opportunity to challenge for a major title despite having not won a fight in more than two years.
The former WBC interim lightweight titlist fought just once in 2025, a lopsided 12-round, unanimous decision defeat to Rolando Romero last May 2 in New York City. Their bout topped a Turki Alalshikh-funded Ring card, amidst a promotional mess in the middle of Times Square.
Garcia was admittedly not at his best for a variety of reasons, though the onus was on the boxing superstar to shine. It was his first fight since his April 2024 No-Contest with Devin Haney, for which he showed up three pounds heavy and was dealt a subsequent one-year-suspension after testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine.
All told, Garcia has not officially won a fight since a December 2023 knockout over Oscar Duarte. The feat represents Garcia’s only victory over his past four fights; it came eight months after his April 2023 knockout loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
The event with Davis is why Garcia remains in the conversation for any fight in and around the 147lbs division. The two fought in front of a sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Ticket sales were estimated at $22.8 million, in addition to more than $100,000,000 from 1,200,000 PPV units sold.
That event was a joint venture between Showtime – PBC’s platform of choice at the time – and DAZN. Golden Boy was also successfully able to lobby for DAZN’s involvement in Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s May 2024 win over Jaime Munguia. Alvarez was with PBC at the time.
De La Hoya made his presence felt during the promotion, shifting his focus on Alvarez, whom he promoted for ten years before their disastrous split in 2020.
Ironically, De La Hoya aims for a more positive collaboration with PBC, despite his own current acrimonious relationship with Garcia. The thought of reuniting with PBC founder Al Haymon could lead to another avenue for Golden Boy, whose relationship with DAZN has been rocky, at best, and always seemingly on the ropes.
Golden Boy and PBC represent the two biggest active entities in the U.S. for the moment, given Top Rank’s continued struggles to secure a platform deal. The Hall of Fame former six-division champion sees value in joining forces with those who can further the cause to keep boxing relevant on this side of the world.
“I’m really excited to be working with PBC and Al Haymon,” insisted De La Hoya, who partnered with Haymon for years prior to their split, and subsequent lawsuit, in 2014. “We have a lot of great matchups to be made as the U.S.’ top promoters. I’m looking to keep the fights here in the U.S.”
