Former Champion Calls Potential Mario Barrios-Ryan Garcia Title Fight "Black Eye On Boxing"

Ryan Garcia continues to ruffle feathers with each step of his boxing career.

Garcia, who returned from a year-long suspension with a unanimous decision loss to Rolando 'Rolly' Romero in May, is rumored to be the next opponent of WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. The announcement has been criticized by many, with former WBO super lightweight champion Chris Algieri becoming the latest to bash the proposed matchup.

Should the fight happen, Algieri believes it would be a "black eye on boxing" due to Garcia's lack of a resume and controversial actions.

"It's already a black eye on boxing," Algieri said on Boxing Scene. "You got a guy who's coming off a loss, a guy who hasn't won a fight at 147. Not to mention, he's got a drug scandal in the middle of that. So it's not even that he just hasn't been winning. He's literally cheated to get here and been caught and was suspended for it.

"This is boxing. It's unfortunate that we reward people who fail up. Just because they're popular, just because they put butts in seats, and Ryan does do that."

Does Ryan Garcia deserve this title fight against Mario Barrios? @ChrisAlgieri #Boxing #BoxingNews #RyanGarcia pic.twitter.com/q7t7sVdx3t
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) November 4, 2025

Algieri has not fought since 2021, when he suffered a fourth-round knockout loss to Conor Benn. He hung up his gloves with a 25-4 recored, including one successful defense of the WBO 140-pound belt.

Ryan Garica rumored bout with Mario Barrios

Although nothing has been confirmed, the Barrios-Garcia title fight seems close to a done deal. The fight is rumored to commence in early 2026 under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.

The WBC furthered the recent rumors by officially lifting its ban on Garcia, who had previously been prohibited from competing in the organization since July 2024. WBC president Mauricion Sulaiman said he believes that Garcia has changed for the better and is ready to see him compete under his banner again.

Garcia's loss to Romero marked his welterweight debut, making him 0-1 at 147 pounds. He has not officially won a fight since December 2023, when he stopped Oscar Duarte in the eighth round of a lightweight bout.

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Despite being a champion, Barrios has received an equal amount of criticism over the last year. The 30-year-old is coming off consecutive draw with Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao, two fights he entered as an overwhelming favorite.

Many fans believed Barrios beat Pacquiao, but were still critical of his performance. The champion dwarfed the diminuitive 47-year-old, yet still landed just 45 jabs in the 12-round fight.

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