Although Ryan Garcia has tried his best throughout the build to their WBC welterweight title clash to frame his former trainer’s hiring by opponent Mario Barrios as an act of treason, Joe Goossen’s presence is likely to play a key role in the result of Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner.
Goossen, the 72-year-old broadcaster and Hall-of-Fame trainer, has had a relationship with Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) dating back to his amateur days and worked his corner as head trainer for three consecutive fights, culminating in a 2023 PPV knockout loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Despite the fact that Garcia and Goossen parted ways on good terms (amid industry rumors that questioned Garcia’s work ethic and suggested he never truly bought in to Goossen’s teachings), Garcia used the storyline to create a circus of their introductory press conference in January to announce this weekend’s fight (DAZN PPV, 7:55 p.m. ET) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Not only did the 27-year-old Garcia, a native of Victorville, California, join his father/trainer Henry in attempting to create a soap opera by feigning heartbreak over Goossen’s decision, the younger Garcia also presented a t-shirt with Goossen’s name on the front and the word “traitor” on the back and threw it at his former coach.
When asked by CBS Sports on Tuesday whether he was truly emotional over the situation or whether this was yet another attempt by the enigmatic Garcia to stir the pot and play mental games with his opponent, “King Ryan” shared a sly smile.
“I don’t know how I actually feel about it, I just know my first instinct was a little laughter within myself,” Garcia said. “[I thought to myself,] ‘That’s pretty, pretty funny.’ I say that with sarcasm. I wonder if [Barrios] even thought about it. Did he think about it? I guess nobody gives a f— in this game. Cool, let’s f—ing go. Now, I’m really going to rip this dude’s head off and I’m going to beat his ass in front of [Goossen] bad.
“It’s always a little bit of motivation within myself. It’s almost as if you want to whip his ass more just to show them that I don’t care who is training him, I’ll whip his ass bad.”
From the perspective of Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, there isn’t a single part of the Garcia-led sideshow that matters to him ahead of the fight. In fact, he claims his decision to part ways with trainer Bob Santos in favor of Goossen had nothing to do with Garcia at all.
“The move to go be with Joe was going to happen whether this fight with Ryan was made or not,” Barrios told CBS Sports last week. “I was looking at what steps I wanted to make moving forward to continue to grow as a fighter and work on myself. I wanted to get back to some of the things that got me this far in the first place. I think it’s just a lot of noise and drama. I feel like the press conference didn’t have anything to do with me. It just had everything to do with Joe Goossen, Ryan and their past.”
The reason why Goossen’s role is so integral to this fight is because he knows so much about what makes the inconsistent Garcia tick. For as spectacular as Garcia can look in one fight, he has so routinely battled with mental health challenges and outside-the-ring controversies that he has yet to fulfill the huge potential that comes along with his lightning fast hands, snapping power and gigantic social media following as a boxing superstar who organically built his image and following.
Garcia looked sensational in dropping Devin Haney three times in their 2024 title clash but had his decision win overturned after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine and engaged in one public meltdown after another during his one-year suspension. Garcia returned last May against WBA welterweight titleholder Rolando Romero as a heavy favorite but was dropped in Round 2 en route to losing a bizarre and lifeless decision.
“You know, there are many reasons [for the Romero loss in New York’s Times Square,]” Garcia said.” It’s very interesting looking back at how the energy actually was and why it was that way. I have my speculations but I don’t even want to look back because I know right here is in front of me. I’m just looking forward to this moment and that’s it because this has better vibes and you know that.”
Barrios doesn’t just have inside knowledge on Garcia with Goossen, however, he also has the perfect coach (known for his offensive approach and ability to resurrect struggling boxers) to potentially bring back the fire in him that has been lacking in recent fights.
In 2023, Barrios looked as if his career had turned a major corner when he widely outpointed and retired former champion Yordenis Ugas to capture the WBC interim title. But a string of inconsistent performances followed as Barrios was forced to settle for back-to-back draws in title defenses against Abel Ramos in 2024 and 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao last July while being criticized for not doing enough offensively when it mattered.
“I definitely feel like people are always going to talk and write your name off,” Barrios said. “You can go in there and perform sensationally and there will always be somebody that will find something. I am definitely proud of [my performance against] Pacquiao but there are things I would’ve done differently. I definitely should have pressed the gas early on and I think it would have been a different fight. That’s why I think there wasn’t much interest in a rematch. I feel like they knew that it’s the best that he can look right now.”
Garcia remains the betting favorite against Barrios largely because of his brighter ceiling of potential and the fact that Barrios, who has previously headlined PPVs against Keith Thurman and Davis, has yet to win a major fight in which his face has been on the poster. But Garcia also needs to prove entering his fourth division that he can finally win a recognized world title and that his best performance to date against Haney wasn’t a result of banned substance use.
“I do see it favoring me but it’s because I’m the better fighter, that’s it,” Garcia said. “That’s what I have been putting into this camp. I see [Barrios] as a warrior that has been through a little bit of wars that is starting to wear him down. I don’t think the new trainer switch into a fight like this is a good move and he’s about to find out that it ain’t a good move, at all. I think it’s all going to backfire.”
Barrios, who questioned Garcia’s ability to deal with setbacks inside the ring and adjust, is hoping that his new union with Goossen allows him to showcase all of his talents at the same time.
“We have a dangerous Ryan in front of us and a very unpredictable Ryan but I am a champion. I have to just act accordingly and perform as a champion,” Barrios said. “Earlier in my career, I was a lot more aggressive and had a much higher punch output. My team and I sat down and decided why not a change of scenery? Why not choose a coach who has been there countless number of times and has had great success with so many people? We have to imagine we are facing the best version of Ryan and if it’s any less, that’s going to be for him to answer.”
Barrios vs. Garcia fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Ryan Garcia -250 vs. Mario Barrios (c) +195, WBC welterweight title
- Richardson Hitchins (c) -380 vs. Oscar Duarte +280, IBF junior welterweight title
- Gary Antuanne Russell -350 vs. Andy Hiraoka +260, WBA junior welterweight title
- Frank Martin -390 vs. Nahir Albright +290, junior welterweights
Prediction
The flaws and inconsistencies of both fighters have the potential to play as big a role in the outcome of the fight as do their respective strengths.
Garcia completely fell apart mentally in losses to both Davis and Romero as soon as he felt their heavy power flush in the early going. The problem for Barrios, however, is that he isn’t a puncher at 147 pounds on the level of either of those names.
When Barrios is at his best, he’s an aggressive boxer who goes to the body and leads the dance. But like Garcia, at his worst, he can lose focus in a hurry and begin to follow his opponent around.
The X-factor in this fight is undoubtedly going to be the hand speed and power of Garcia, who by far owns the biggest weapons in the matchup. Even if Barrios, who is the more consistent boxer of the two in recent years, can build an early lead, the potential for Garcia to package knockdowns in an effort to build a formidable lead on the scorecards is there, even if he doesn’t score a finish against the durable Barrios.
Pick: Garcia via UD12
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