Mario Barrios puts his WBC welterweight world boxing championship title on the line for a marquee fight against Ryan Garcia in the coming days.

El Azteca arguably has one of the best walk-outs of all combat sports but the 30-year-old will be doubly determined to out-smart KingRy on the night because Barrios, bizarrely, hasn’t actually beaten anybody since his May 4, 2024 decision win over Fabian Maidana. Since then, he’s scored draws against Abel Ramos on Netflix, and Manny Pacquiao in another tentpole.

Barrios had been linked with a rematch against Pacquiao, but PacMan’s manager Sean Gibbons poo-pooed the notion, telling Boxing Social and other reporters at the time last year that his fighter deserved better. While Pacquiao now takes part in an exhibition alongside Ruslan Provodnikov, Barrios heads into another marquee headliner — this time against Garcia.

The flashy-fisted 27-year-old is one of the sport’s best-known fighters because of his extraordinary social media following, and the fact he never seems too far from controversy.

In his last four fights, Garcia has lost to Gervonta Davis by brutal body shot, bounced back with a brilliant win over Oscar Duarte, and completely bamboozled Devin Haney but was slapped with a retroactive No Contest after he failed a drug test. He then returned last summer and lost to a disciplined Rolando Romero in a lopsided L.

The fight is a solid one and could be one of the more challenging fights to predict based off the unpredictable nature of their respective runs. For that reason alone, let alone other compelling ones, it is likely enough to tune in.

Barrios vs Garcia fight time

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Main Card Starts: 5:00 p.m. PT / 8:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 a.m. GMT

Main Event Ring Walks (Approx): 8 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 a.m. GMT

The broadcast for the main card begins 5 p.m. local time (PT). This means 8 p.m. for those on ET, and 1 a.m. on GMT. To make things easier, we’ve put the global fight times below.

RegionCityMain Card StartsRing Walks (Approx)US & Canada (Local)Las Vegas / Vancouver5:00 PM PT8:00 PM PTUS & Canada (Eastern)New York / Toronto8:00 PM ET11:00 PM ETUK & Ireland (GMT)London / Dublin1:00 AM GMT4:00 AM GMTCentral EuropeBerlin / Madrid2:00 AM CET5:00 AM CETAustralia (Sunday)Sydney / Melbourne12:00 PM AEDT Sunday3:00 PM AEDT SundayNew Zealand (Sunday)Auckland2:00 PM NZDT Sunday5:0O PM NZDT Sunday

Barrios and Garcia aren’t the only two squaring off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegsa – below are our picks of the undercards.

The Co-Main Event: Richardson Hitchins takes on Oscar Duarte in a Matchroom vs Golden Boy battle. Hitchins has long been heralded as a future star but Duarte is as tough an opponent as they come.

Prospect Watch: Amari Jones is one of Golden Boy’s more promising ‘next in line’ type of fighters and, at 15-0, will be under pressure to deliver against Luis Arias in a middleweight fight.

How to watch Barrios vs Garcia live online

The fight is streaming exclusively on DAZN as a pay-per-view in many regions.

US Fans: Stream live via DAZN on all major devices at a $69.99 price point.

UK Fans: Stream live via DAZN on all major devices at a £24.99 price point.

What is DAZN?

DAZN is a paid-for service, so if you’re wanting to watch the fight live, you can pick up an annual pass for £119.99 or pay £25.99 monthly. If watching fights is your thing, it may make more sense to opt for the annual pass, and then choose the pay monthly option, bringing the recurring cost down to £15.99.

Barrios vs Garcia tale of the tape

Fighter FactsMario BarriosRyan GarciaNicknameEl AztecaKing RyNationalityAmerican (San Antonio)American (Los Angeles)Age3027Height6′ 0″ (183 cm)5′ 8″ (174 cm)Reach71″ (180 cm)70″ (178 cm)StanceOrthodoxOrthodoxProfessional Record29–2-224–2KOs1820KO %62%83.3%Last 3 Fights1–2 (D, D, W)1–1-1 (W, NC, L)Current Odds+175 (Underdog)-200 (Underdog)

Fight Records (Last 5 Bouts)

FighterResultOpponentMethodDateMario BarriosDrawManny PacquiaoMD (12 Rds)Jul. 19, 2025DrawAbel RamosSD (12 Rds)Nov. 15, 2024WinFabian MaidanaUD (12 Rds)May 4, 2024WinYordenis UgasUD (12 Rds)Sept. 30, 2023WinJovanie SantiagoTKO (Rd 7)Feb. 11, 2023Ryan GarciaLossRolly RomeroUD (12 Rds)May 2, 2025No ContestDevin HaneyNo ContestApr. 20, 2024WinOscar DuarteKO (Rd 8)Dec 2, 2023LossGervonta DavisKO (Rd 7)Apr. 22, 2023WinJavier FortunaKO (Rd 6)Jul. 26, 2022

Barrios vs Garcia our prediction

Neither fighter are particularly well-known for their predictability and both have a point to prove Saturday night.

Garcia, you see, desperately needs a big win in his post-positive drug test era, but seemed to have lost a step when fighting Rolly Romero, especially compared to the ease in which he eviscerated Devin Haney.

But Barrios isn’t exactly famous for consistency, either, and and despite sharing the ring with Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman (both losses), he rebounded with wins over Jovanie Santiago and Yordenis Ugas.

But those wins are in the rearview mirror as Barrios has struggled in two fights he arguably should have won — against Ramos, and then Pacquiao.

Rather than predicting one outcome, it’s therefore prudish to back two — and that’s either Garcia knocking Barrios out in a statement, perhaps an up-and-down fight like the one he engaged Luke Campbell in — or Barrios stands up to Garcia’s power, and grinds out a decision. To do so, though, he’ll have to start fast and maintain that pace, as starting sluggish against Pacquiao cost him the win.

Ryan Garcia to win by KO

Mario Barrios to win by UD