Ryan Garcia said he was back. Cool. Fighters say that all the time.
Then he moved up from lightweight, knocked down Mario Barrios early, won a unanimous decision 119-108, 120-107, 118-109, improved to 25-2, grabbed his first world title, and called out Shakur Stevenson before the sweat even dried.
That’s not “I’m back.” That’s kicking the door off the hinges.
Garcia came in with a lot hanging over him. Two high-profile losses — Gervonta Davis and Rolly Romero — plus very public personal struggles. Fair or not, people were wondering if he was more Instagram celebrity than championship-level boxer. Saturday night answered that pretty clearly.
From the jump, Garcia looked sharp. The knockdown set the tone early. It wasn’t some lucky flash shot — it was speed, timing, and a laser right hand reminding everyone why he became a problem in the first place. After that? He controlled the fight. Sharp jabs. Clean combinations. In and out. No unnecessary brawling. Just business.
The scorecards tell you everything: 119-108, 120-107, 118-109.
And here’s the part that matters — he didn’t look reckless. He looked composed. That’s new. The speed has always been there. The star power has always been there. But the patience? The control? That’s what makes moving up in weight and winning a world title actually impressive instead of just flashy.
This was his first world title. Let that sink in. For all the hype, the social media numbers, the mega-fights, the headlines — this was the first belt. And he earned it.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Ryan Garcia night without some post-fight spice.
On the mic, he called out Shakur Stevenson. And if you know boxing Twitter, you already know that set off alarms everywhere. Shakur is slick. Defensive wizard. Not exactly the guy you call out unless you’re serious
Ryan Garcia just called out Shakur Stevenson after his win
"You know who I want. Shakur Stevenson, let's run that sh*t. I'm ready it's time"#BarriosGarcia pic.twitter.com/LWcEKixU4r
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) February 22, 2026
Shakur Stevenson on the fight:
“Barrios, I don’t know what he’s doing out there” 😭
“Ryan Garcia look like the Ryan Garcia that fought Devin Haney” 👀
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) February 22, 2026
Terence Crawford says Shakur Stevenson wipes the floor with Ryan Garcia 😬🗣️
“I don’t think Ryan will be able to hit Shakur. Barrios was right there to be hit.” pic.twitter.com/x46Bg5aJlu
— Source of Boxing (@Sourceofboxing) February 22, 2026
And then you had Devin Haney chiming in with the side-eye, along with others throwing subtle (and not-so-subtle) jabs about possible performance enhancers. That storyline isn’t new in boxing. It always creeps in when someone looks sharp, fast, and a little too good. But as of now, it’s just talk. No confirmed issues. Just fighters doing what fighters do — talking.
Devin Haney believes Ryan Garcia is on that juice again after dominating tonight pic.twitter.com/xtLU2TQXF1
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) February 22, 2026
What’s real is this: Garcia moved up in weight and looked comfortable.
Two years ago, people were debating if he could hang at the elite level. Now he’s a 25-2 world champion calling out the most technical guy in the division like he’s ordering takeout.
You don’t have to love him. A lot of people don’t. He’s flashy. He’s loud. He lives online. But Saturday night, he backed it up in the ring.
And boxing is better when Ryan Garcia is good. Period.
Now the ball’s in Shakur’s court. If that fight gets made? Sign me up yesterday. Styles make fights, and that one would be pure chaos — speed versus precision, volume versus defense, social media star versus boxing purist.
