{"id":6730,"date":"2026-02-22T15:15:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T14:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6730"},"modified":"2026-02-22T19:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T18:22:20","slug":"ryan-garcia-from-social-media-star-to-wbc-world-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/ryan-garcia-from-social-media-star-to-wbc-world-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Garcia: From Social Media Star to WBC World Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm\">\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:536fd6f5-401a-4cd9-a2a1-3bf8bc127847-18\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-4\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"5f4ad9fc-12e7-467f-ad95-71d6a133114d\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-2\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1910\" data-end=\"2365\">In <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Las Vegas<\/span><\/span>, where boxing legends are made and reputations are broken, the night was about more than a belt\u2014it was about identity. <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ryan Garcia<\/span><\/span> entered the ring not as the controversial social media star many had criticized, but as a focused contender seeking legitimacy. Across from him stood WBC welterweight champion <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Mario Barrios<\/span><\/span>, defending both his title and his standing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2367\" data-end=\"2714\">The tone was set almost instantly. Just 23 seconds into the fight, Garcia unleashed a sharp combination capped by a powerful right hook that sent Barrios to the canvas. The referee\u2019s count was more than procedural\u2014it signaled a shift in momentum. Barrios rose, determined not to surrender his belt, but the rhythm of the fight had already changed.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"rtl\">A historic night for Ryan Garcia \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 as he captures his first-ever world title, claiming the WBC belt at \u2026\ud83c\udfc6\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>A major milestone in his professional career.<\/p>\n<p>\u0644\u064a\u0644\u0629 \u062a\u0627\u0631\u064a\u062e\u064a\u0629 \u0644\u0640 \u0631\u0627\u064a\u0627\u0646 \u063a\u0627\u0631\u0633\u064a\u0627 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u060c\u0627\u0644\u0630\u064a \u062a\u0648\u0651\u062c \u0628\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0644\u0642\u0628 \u0639\u0627\u0644\u0645\u064a \u0641\u064a \u0645\u0633\u064a\u0631\u062a\u0647 \u0628\u0639\u062f \u0641\u0648\u0632\u0647 \u0628\u062d\u0632\u0627\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u062c\u0644\u0633 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0627\u0644\u0645\u064a \u0644\u0644\u0645\u0644\u0627\u0643\u0645\u0629 (WBC) \u0644\u0648\u0632\u0646\ud83c\udfc6\ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aia7JJNdpf\">pic.twitter.com\/aia7JJNdpf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/2025636563351200254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2716\" data-end=\"3045\">Technically, Garcia has not always been regarded as the most refined boxer in his division. Yet his extraordinary speed proved decisive. Over twelve rounds, Barrios struggled to read the angles and anticipate the incoming shots. Even when Garcia appeared to injure his hand in the eighth round, the champion failed to capitalize.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3047\" data-end=\"3272\">The judges\u2019 scorecards left little room for debate: unanimous decision (119-108, 120-107, 118-109). For the first time in his career, Garcia claimed a world title under the banner of the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">World Boxing Council<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THE CROWNING MOMENT FOR KING RYAN \ud83d\udc51<\/p>\n<p>The Ring: High Stakes is LIVE NOW on DAZN \ud83d\udcfa <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WyS1PXc5zA\">pic.twitter.com\/WyS1PXc5zA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ringmagazine\/status\/2025451644801221088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3274\" data-end=\"3605\">Beyond the numbers, the victory reshapes his narrative. Garcia moves from polarizing figure to certified world champion, gaining new leverage in the boxing landscape. The inevitable question now arises: could a rematch with <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Devin Haney<\/span><\/span> be next? Or will Garcia chart a different course to build his legacy?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3607\" data-end=\"3668\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">In Las Vegas, this was not merely a win\u2014it was a reinvention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"text-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pointer-events-none h-px w-px absolute bottom-0\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-edge=\"true\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Las Vegas, where boxing legends are made and reputations are broken, the night was about more than a belt\u2014it was about identity. Ryan Garcia entered the ring not as the controversial social media star many had criticized, but as a focused contender seeking legitimacy. Across from him stood WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios, defending [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxe","8":"category-boxing-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6732,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6730\/revisions\/6732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}