WBC world welterweight champ Mario Barrios and challenger Ryan Garcia met the media one final time Thursday in Las Vegas prior to their PPV showdown Saturday night.
Thursday in Las Vegas, things began to ramp up for the WBC world welterweight title defense for Mario Barrios against Ryan Garcia in the Ring Magazine/DAZN pay per view main event Saturday night.
Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) met with the media a final time prior to the bout headlining ‘The Ring: High Stakes,’ Both fighters are representing their Mexican-American heritage and will undoubtedly have their speed and power on display.
Barrios looks to cement his status as WBC Welterweight Champion, after a draw last July with legend Manny Pacquiao and he has successfully defended his belt five times. On the other hand, Garcia aims to silence his doubters by finally getting a legitimate "big win" and solidifying his position within the sport by securing a first world title.
Garcia's in ring victory by decision over Devin Haney in a PPV main event in April 2024 was marred by him testing positive for a PED and having the result vacated. He was also suspended for a year by the New York Athletic Commission. Later, upon reinstatement in May of last year, Garcia looked awful in a 12 round loss to Rolly Romero.
So, both fighters in the main event have much to prove. And, you can hear insider Dan Rafael previewing this bout on our "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast" by clicking play below,
Barrios told the media Thursday,
“None of it (Garcia taunts) bothers me. I’m the champion for a reason. I’m not a talker when it comes to all this, but every time I fight I leave it all in the ring. I want to make him uncomfortable and exploit his weaknesses every round.”
As for Garcia, he again "looks" to be in great shape and said Thursday,
“There’s not a lot I haven't seen in the sport of boxing. You never really know what you’re going to get until you step into the ring. For me, I’m just preparing myself as best as I possibly can. So, we just have to wait and see.”
On where he’s at mentally and physically…
“I could do a lot of talking and say I’ve prepared the best I can. You can just look at me and see the shape that I’m in and how I look and have your own opinion on it.”
Meantime, the co-feature has an exciting junior welterweight bout as New York's Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) defends his IBF world title against Mexican Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) in a matchup that will see the winner set up a lucrative unification opportunity likely later this year.
Also, Maryland's Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) will battle top WBA contender, Japan’s Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs), in defense of Russell's WBA 140 lb. title. Russell is talented, but has only fought once a year in the previous three years.
And, kicking off the undercard, Frank "The Ghost" Martin (19-1, 13 KOs) and Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) will fight in a non-title junior welterweight matchup, while Bektemir Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KOs) and Sena Agbeko (29-4, 23 KOs) face off in a Super Middleweight contest.