Barry McGuigan pointed out a sedate problem that Ryan Garcia needs to address before his fight with WBC world champion Mario Barrios.
Both opponents will fight on February 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and Barrios will defend his green and gold welterweight belt for the third time.
After previous draws against Abel Ramos and 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao, it must be said that the 30-year-old has struggled to establish himself as the top dog at 147 pounds.
But Barrios’ work rate alone could be a key factor against Garcia, whose sporadic activity and lack of discipline in recent years have clearly been a concern.
The cracks first began to show when Garcia, after truly strange preparations for his bout with Devin Haney, weighed more than 3 pounds over the super lightweight limit in April 2024.
“King Ry” then knocked down his fighter three times to claim a majority victory, which was later overturned due to him testing positive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance.
Then, after a one-year ban, Garcia returned against Rolando Romero last May and suffered a unanimous decision defeat after being eliminated in the second round.
According to Hall of Famer McGuigan, the 27-year-old has lacked professionalism since his seventh-round loss to Gervonta Davis in 2023.
Additionally, the Irish boxing legend emphasized in his column titled: Mirror that Garcia must rely on more than just his talent against Barrios.
“Garcia’s talent is unquestionable; the problem was his professionalism. He made a huge impression on me when he fought Luke Campbell five years ago. His hand speed and left hook were exceptional.
“At that time, his future seemed certain. [But] is a perfect example that innate abilities are never enough. After the defeat against Gervonta Davis in early 2023, everything became clear.
“He failed to make weight in the Devin Haney fight, then was kicked out for testing positive for a banned substance, and then lost completely to Romero.
“A dedicated Garcia can still be great in this sport. But he hasn’t been since the Davis loss.”
Garcia turned in perhaps the best performance of his career after surviving an early knockdown that stopped Campbell, the Olympic gold medalist, in the seventh round of their 2021 lightweight bout.