Ryan Garcia Faces Deeper Water Vs Mario Barrios

Santos points to the Barrios, who outworked Yordenis Ugas in 2023. That version, he says, wins about sixty five to thirty five. The edge comes from control. Distance. The ability to stay composed when the fight slows and still do something useful when it needs to change. Santos is equally blunt about the alternative. The Barrios, who drifted through twelve round draws with Manny Pacquiao and Abel Ramos, turn this into a straight fifty fifty.

Garcia enters the fight with less proof than profile. He is coming off a loss to Rolando Romero, and Santos reads that as pressure rather than momentum. Speaking to MillCity Boxing, Santos treated the fight as a line in the sand for Garcia. Not in the dramatic sense. In the practical one. Lose here, and the excuses run out.

Garcia’s career will not collapse with a defeat. The sport does not punish marketable fighters that way anymore. What would suffer is the path to a lucrative bout with WBC mandatory Conor Benn. That fight relies on timing and perception. A loss to Barrios makes it harder to sell as a meaningful step, even if promoters could still push it to casual fans.

For Santos, this comes down to experience. Garcia has never held a world title and has not faced the same range of problems. Barrios has. Size, patience, and the ability to do different things all lean his way if he commits to the fight instead of coasting. This is not about speed or hype. It is about who can operate when the plan stops working. If Barrios fights like a professional, Garcia is walking into a long night.

Barrios also fought better in his loss to Gervonta Davis than Garcia did. He has shared the ring with Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao, Yordenis Ugas, and Abel Ramos. The experience edge is heavy.