David Benavidez candidly shared his thoughts on Ryan Garcia’s unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios to become the WBC welterweight champion last Saturday.
Going into the bout as the defending champion despite a string of draws, some felt Barrios’ engine would prove too unrelenting for Garcia.
The 30-year-old drew with 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao in July, but still showed that he is able to fight at a considerable pace for 12 rounds.
On the other hand, Garcia left many questions unanswered – mostly regarding his mental state – after losing a unanimous decision to Rolando Romero in May.
It was his first appearance since the Up-to-date York State Athletic Commission imposed a one-year drug ban on him in response to testing positive for ostarine, a banned substance, following his majority victory over Devin Haney.
The result of their April 2024 meeting was subsequently overturned, with Garcia openly admitting that he had been “drinking and partying” during his suspension.
However, despite the lack of discipline throughout this period, The 27-year-old ultimately put in a dominant performance, beating and overtaking Barrios over the weekend.
Reacting to his friend’s world title triumph, WBC delicate heavyweight champion Benavidez said DAZN Boxing that he was very impressed with Garcia’s “brilliant” performance.
“I thought it was a great comeback – not just the fight, but Ryan coming back to victory.
“He’s the world champion now. He looked great, he looked speedy. [His] the traffic was good. He now has the world at his feet.
“I’m joyful for Ryan and I wish him all the best. I feel like if he worked on other things, he could have gotten a knockout.
“But Barrios [was] there’s a live dog. He wasn’t just a living dog; he was a champion, so he didn’t give up without a fight.
Garcia called up WBO super lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson immediately after his victory over Barrios, hoping to prepare him for a potential fight.
Previously, “King Ry” said he would face the 144-pound catchweight star, though details of their matchup have apparently not been discussed yet.