Ryan Garcia will return to the boxing ring later TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 21, 2026) to challenge current WBC Welterweight champion, Mario Barrios, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, streaming live on DAZN PPV in what is sure-to-be a highly-intriguing bout.
What’s Hot:
BARRIOS VS. GARCIA CHEAT SHEET
What boxing event is on tonight? “Barrios vs. Garcia”
Who Is Fighting At Barrios vs. Garcia: Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia is the 12-round WBC Welterweight title fight.
What time does Garcia vs. Duarte start? TONIGHT (Sat., Feb. 21, 2026), beginning at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN PPV.
Where will Barrios vs. Garcia take place? T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How can I watch Barrios vs. Garcia? Live on DAZN PPV starting at 8 p.m. ET.
How do I bet on Barrios vs. Garcia? Check out the latest lines at DraftKings.com.
As for Barrios (29-2-2), he is coming of back-to-back draws against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao. “El Azteca” had a tough time against Pacquaio last year after “PacMan” gave Barrios all he could handle during their title fight (highlights). Still, Barrios is one of the best fighters in the sport. And if he can secure a victory over Garcia, his stock would soar through the roof. This fight is intriguing in more ways than one because many still aren’t sold on Garcia’s ability to win a major world strap, a signature victory to get him over the hump. Garcia is adamant that he will be a free agent after the fight and will look to partner up with another promoter, ending his working relationship with Oscar de la Hoya. Both of these men crack hard, so this should be a very entertaining title fight.
How The Undercard Looks:
Richardson Hitchins is coming off the biggest win of his boxing career, defeating George Kambosos Jr. last summer to retain his IBF Super Lightweight title ahead of his fight against Oscar Duarte (30-2-1) in the co-main event of the evening. Undefeated (20-0) with eight knockouts and fresh off his dominant performance over Kambosos Jr., he’s a heavy favorite going into his second title defense. As for Duarte, the Mexican-born boxer is known for his great counter attacks and relentless pressure. He is on a four-fight win streak and hones his skills with renowned trainer, Robert Garcia. This will be his first chance at winning a world title and is out to shock the world in the process, too.
Gary Antuanne Russell will attempt to defend his WBA Super Lightweight championship for the first time against Andy Hiraoka, who is undefeated (24-0) thus far in his career. Russell has speed on his side and brings elite punching power coupled with relentless pressure (as well as championship experience). He is fresh off a dominant unanimous decision win over Jose Valenzuela to claim the belt, which was preceded by his first and lone defeat at the hands of Alberto Puello. Hiraoka, meanwhile, will have significant height and reach advantages, which have helped him collect 19 knockouts in his career. His length can allow him to keep Russell at bay to avoid the champion’s power. That said, it was revealed that Hiraoka flew in from Japan just two days ago, so it remains to be seen if jet lag plays a factor in the title fight.
Frank Martin (19-1) will face Nahir Albright (17-2) in a Super Lightweight bout. After starting off his career at 18-0, Martin suffered the first and only loss of his boxing career at the hands of Gervonta Davis in June 2024. He managed to bounce back with a knockout win over Rances Barthelemy. Martin is known for being patient and picking his shots carefully without much wasted motion inside the ring. As for Albright, he is fighting out of Philadelphia and is an orthodox fighter who always delivers punches in bunches. He is coming off a majority decision win over Kelvin Davis, and is out to keep his momentum going by becoming just the second man to defeat Martin.
Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) vs. Sena Agbeko (29-4) will collide in a WBA Super Middleweight title eliminator fight to kickoff the main card. Melikuziev is a 29-year-old southpaw from Uzbekistan and won an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 games. He is currently riding a nine-fight win streak and has a 60 percent knockout rate. He’s coming off a unanimous decision victory over Darius Fulghum and is eager to earn another title shot to potentially add to his mantle, which already has WBA’s Inter-Continental Super Middleweight title on display. Agbeko, meanwhile, is a 34-year-old Ghanaian fighting out Nashville, Tennessee. Agbeko is built like a tank, but has been inconsistent when it comes to locking down big wins. He is coming off a win over Pierre Williams, but prior to that, he suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of David Morrell and Osleys Iglesias.
Who Needs A Win Badly:
Interest Level: 8.5/10
This is a pretty solid fight card all around. Aside from the highly-intriguing main event, the rest of DAZN’s main card features a few more champions looking to keep their belts , while the challengers have all the motivation they need to pull off upsets. We are early in the year, but this is already one of the best boxing cards of 2026. Zuffa Boxing has gotten off to a pretty slow start, and this event will remind us what high-level boxing is all about.
Full Barrios vs. Garcia Fight Card:
147 lbs.: Mario Barrios (29-2) vs. Ryan Garcia (24-2-1)
140 lbs.: Richardson Hitchins (20-0) vs. Oscar Duarte (30-2-1) IBF Super Lightweight Championship
140 lbs.: Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1) vs. Andy Hiraoka (24-0) WBA Super Lightweight Championship
140 lbs.: Frank Martin (19-1) vs. Nahir Albright (17-2)
168 lbs.: Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) vs. Sena Agbeko (29-4)
