LAS VEGAS — Ryan Garcia routed Mario Barrios to win the WBC welterweight title on Saturday night in Las Vegas, putting in probably the most complete performance of his career to date .
Garcia (25-2, 21 KO) arguably didn’t lose a single round in the fight, maintaining full control after a stunning start that saw him put Barrios (29-3-2, 18 KO) on the canvas quickly in the opening round . The 27-year-old from Victorville, California, knocked down Barrios with an overhand right just 30 seconds into the bout and never looked back .
From there, it was all Ryan Garcia. Barrios, 30, never really got into it or found any way to make things competitive, as Garcia’s massive advantages in speed and power were just far too much for “El Azteca” to overcome .
Scorecards
Judges scored the fight 118-109, 119-108, and 120-107 for Ryan Garcia . The Associated Press scored it 119-109 . Bad Left Hook unofficially had the fight 120-107 on two separate cards .
Fight Highlights
Garcia went to work right away, knocking down Barrios in the opening seconds . He didn’t recklessly try to finish off Barrios, however, patiently using combinations to the champion’s head. One such combo late in the third round briefly staggered Barrios .
As Garcia kept picking his spots, Barrios had no real answers to counter the attack. Barrios occasionally landed a right, but nothing seemed to slow down Garcia .
Perhaps sensing his opponent might be in trouble, Garcia went hard after Barrios in the fifth round, attacking him from the opening bell. He delivered multiple shots to Barrios’ head, but unlike that first-round knockdown, nothing sent him to the canvas. There was little doubt, though, which fighter was in charge .
Garcia even looked over at Barrios’ corner in the 10th round, perhaps sending a message to his former trainer, Joe Goosen . Henry Garcia, the fighter’s dad, returned as his coach after Garcia worked under others .
Likely knowing he was well ahead on the scorecards, Garcia was more conservative over the final rounds. The largely pro-Garcia crowd went to its feet over the final 30 seconds to cheer on their favorite boxer .
Garcia: “I should have got the knockout”
“I wanted to show my whole arsenal. I believe it was a master class, but I should have got the knockout, to be honest,” Garcia said afterward. “I gotta grade myself on that. I had him hurt many times, but I hurt my right hand. Guys, it wasn’t just the left hook. I seen my right hand working tonight” .
“It was a great fight. Mario’s a tough warrior. I’ve got respect for him, he’s a fellow Mexican-American, and we put on a hell of a show” .
Garcia revealed that his right hand was working “really good” until the sixth or seventh round when he injured it .
“I showed my amateur pedigree. I can box. I can move, I can box, I can take my time. I don’t always have to go for the knockout,” Garcia explained. “I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, [because] Mario was countering a lot of fast shots [and] could have caught me in between the shots. I had to be very selective on my opportunities” .
He added: “I’m surprised [Barrios] went all 12. I was hitting him with some great shots, I hurt him multiple times. But like I told you, he’s a tough son of a bitch. That’s all I can say” .
Road to Redemption
This has been quite a three-year stretch for Garcia, who was suspended for a year and fined $1 million by the New York State Athletic Commission for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs in a win over Devin Haney . The WBC also expelled Garcia for a few months for using racial and ethnic slurs, and he also had his share of legal issues .
Beyond that, Garcia needed to bounce back from his most recent fight, a unanimous-decision loss to Rolando Romero in New York’s Times Square . Saturday night’s dominant performance marked a full-circle moment for the talented but troubled fighter.
