Ryan Garcia may have hit the target for his latest weight check, but his submission was not in full compliance of the WBC’s rules.
BoxingScene has learned that Garcia was hit with a $5,000 fine and a warning of further disciplinary action after failing to meet the initial deadline for his 14-day WBC mandatory safety rule. The former title challenger ultimately submitted video proof of being within 5 per cent above the 147lbs contracted limit for his upcoming showdown with WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios.
“Ryan Garcia’s 14-day weight check was supposed to be received this past Saturday, February 7,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman informed Garcia’s team on February 10 in a notification obtained by BoxingScene. “Champion Barrios did comply with the video of this mandatory safety rule. The WBC hereby imposes a $5000 (five thousand dollars) fine for non-compliance.
“We expect to receive the weight video either today or first thing tomorrow morning depending on his training schedule. If we do not receive this video by then, we will be making a press statement and will contact the boxing commission with this concern.”
Garcia, 24-2 (20 KOs), went on to provide proof of his weight – 154.2lbs – in time for the WBC to formally announce its weight checks earlier this week. San Antonio’s Barrios, 29-2-2 (18 KOs), was 153.0lbs, per a video submitted last Saturday.
Barrios and Garcia were required to weigh no heavier than 155lbs (rounded up from 154.35lbs) at the 14-day mark. Both were reportedly within 10 per cent of the contracted limit 30 days out from their February 21 DAZN pay-per-view headliner from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The next weight check is on Saturday, when Barrios and Garcia will need to be no heavier than 3 per cent above the 147lbs limit. Both boxers are also subject to random drug testing as contracted through VADA. To date, there have not been any issues on that front; Garcia even made a point to post a notification of a negative test.
For now, the optimistic take on his missing the initial 14-day deadline was ignorance on his team’s part.
However, Garcia remains on a redemption tour since he behaved crudely around his lone other fight with a full version of a title at stake.
Garcia badly blew weight ahead of his April 2024 clash with then-WBC 140lbs titlist Devin Haney at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Things went from bad to worse for the fighting pride of Victorville, California, when Garcia’s subsequent majority decision win over Haney was changed to a no-contest after he tested positive for accelerated levels of ostarine.
The infraction resulted in a one-year suspension and full forfeiture of his fight purse in excess of $1.1 million.
Garcia returned to the ring last May 2, when he faced Rolando “Rolly” Romero for a secondary version of the WBA 147lbs title. Romero floored Garcia in Round 2 en route to a lopsided decision atop a DAZN PPV from New York City’s Times Square.
At the time, Garcia was banned by the WBC for his racist and erratic behavior. The sanctioning body has since lifted its punishment and approved him as a challenger for Barrios’ 147lbs title, though he has already challenged their rehabilitated relationship.
Barrios will be making the third defense of his title since being upgraded to full titleholder in mid-2024. Interestingly, each of his previous two outings ended in a draw. He fought to a stalemate with Abel Ramos on the November 2024 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard and drew again with legendary former eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao last July 19 in Vegas.
Making weight and being clean is nothing new for Barrios, who has regularly tested through VADA for most of his career.
