LAS VEGAS, NV, February 19, 2026 – Today, against the backdrop of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, reigning World Champion Mario Barrios (29-2, 18 KOs) and Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) took to the stage along with their teams ahead of their enormous clash in ‘The Ring: High Stakes,’ for the former’s WBC Welterweight Championship title. The high-powered February 21 bout is streaming live worldwide exclusively on DAZN.
Representing their Mexican-American heritages, the two fighters will undoubtedly have their speed and power on display while Barrios looks to cement his status as WBC Welterweight Champion, of which he’ll have successfully defended for the fifth time. On the other hand, Garcia aims to silence his doubters with a win, solidifying his position within the sport by securing a world title in a brand new division.
On the undercard, an exciting Super Lightweight bout pits Richardson Hitchins (20-0, 8 KOs) against Oscar Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs) in a matchup that will see the winner take ownership of Hitchins’ IBF Super Lightweight title. American Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) will also look to fend off Japan’s Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19 KOs) in defense of his WBA Super Lightweight title. Kicking off the undercard, Frank Martin (19-1, 13 KOs) and Nahir Albright (17-2, 7 KOs) are set to battle it out in a Super Lightweight bout, while Bektemir Melikuziev (16-1, 10 KOs) and Sena Agbeko (29-4, 23 KOs) face off in a Super Middleweight battle.
Please see below for the latest from the fighters and their teams ahead of the highly anticipated bout:
Mario Barrios
On Ryan Garcia getting a lot of attention this fight…
“None of it bothers me. I’m the champion for a reason. I’m not a talker when it comes to all this, but every time I fight I leave it all in the ring.”
On testing Ryan Garcia…
“I want to make him uncomfortable and exploit his weaknesses every round.”
On if Joe Goossen’s knowledge of Ryan helped him train…
“I don’t think you need a personal relationship to know how to get an edge over him [Ryan Garcia].”
Ryan Garcia
On what he thinks Mario Barrios will bring on Saturday night…
“There’s not a lot I haven’t seen in the sport of boxing. You never really know what you’re going to get until you step into the ring. For me, I’m just preparing myself as best as I possibly can. So, we just have to wait and see.”
On where he’s at mentally and physically…
“I could do a lot of talking and say I’ve prepared the best I can. You can just look at me and see the shape that I’m in and how I look and have your own opinion on it.”
On Henry Garcia being his trainer again…
“It feels like old times. It feels good to be back with my dad. Technically, we are undefeated together and we’re going to continue the streak.”
On why the world title is important for his father…
“For this championship, it’s going to make my dad’s life. I’m going to hold it with honor and pride. You’re going to see the start of a whole new rise of the King Ryan empire.”
On if Joe Goossen is an advantage for him or Mario Barrios..
“It’s an advantage for me. I know how he’s training and I know how to train even better, because I’ve trained exactly the same with Joe. Joe knows how mean I can be, and come Saturday night, I’m going to be just that.”
Richardson Hitchins
On why he’s predicting a knockout…
“If I fought the same opponents he [Oscar Duarte] fought, I would have knocked them out, too. I’ve never been knocked out in my entire boxing career. I’ve never touched the canvas ever. He’s not going to be the guy to do that.”
On Oscar Duarte saying he’s a basic fighter..
“As far as Oscar saying I’m a basic fighter, if you look at my resume, every guy that I fought nobody has done to them what I’ve done to them. This guy has been spoonfed his whole career. When he gets in front of me, I’ll show him there’s levels to this and that I’m far from a basic fighter.”
Oscar Duarte
On how he sees this fight ending…
“I’m not only doing this for me. I’m doing this for my team and the people of Mexico.”
On what he has to do to beat Hitchins…
“I’m going to apply pressure and come at him like a train.”
On if he’s being overlooked going into this fight…
“I definitely think they’re underestimating me. I know what I bring to the ring. I know that I’m hungry, and I want that world title…I want that championship. On Saturday, I’m coming not only for [Richardson] Hitchins, but anyone else that they put in front of me.”
On why there’s nothing special about Richardson Hitchins…
“Richardson Hitchins is a basic fighter, but I’m ready. I’ve been training very hard this camp, not only physically, mentally, too. I’m ready for my title.”
Gary Antuanne Russell
On getting this fight…
“I’m ready for it and feeling great. I’ll do what I normally do – show up and show out. Hopefully, the concessions have some popcorn so the fans can enjoy the show.”
On his first title defense against Andy Hiraoka…
“Hopefully, he shows up. I won’t overlook him, but I want to be a true champion, and to do that, you need adversity. I’m prepared.”
On what he thinks the biggest difference was in his last fight against Alberto Puello…
“I took my foot off the gas and felt like I was up on the scorecard, so I changed my approach. I’m more mad at myself than the decision, but I won’t let that happen again.”
On if this fight will go to a decision…
“It depends – I don’t kiss and tell.”
Frank Martin
On how different he feels moving up in weight…
“I feel a lot stronger at 140 pounds…it’s the perfect weight for me. I feel a lot more comfortable.”
On if he believes Nahir Albright will fight or run in the ring…
“We’ll see. He might have to move around a lot. I’m going to beat him. Our styles clash, and it’ll be a good fight.”
Nahir Albright
On how he’s feeling heading into a big fight against Frank Martin…
“I feel great, and I’m excited. So grateful to be here.”
On what kind of fight he’s expecting on Saturday night…
“I’m expecting war and nothing less.”
On what the key is to beating Frank Martin…
“Just being myself and showing the world what I already know.”
Bektemir Melikuziev
On what he wants to show on Saturday night…
“This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills. Nothing but respect to my opponent [Sena Agbeko], and I’m looking forward to a great fight.”
On hearing Sena Agbeko say he intends to ‘bully the bully…’
“I’m good with that. We’ll see in the ring.”
Sena Agbeko
On how to bully the ‘Bek the Bully…
“We’re going to look to deal with everything that he can possibly put forward. The real question is going to be whether he can deal with what I’m going to bring to the table. I guess we’ll have to wait until Saturday night to find out.”
On his confidence going into Saturday night…
“I’ve never shied away from a fight. I’m beating fighters that are very tough competition. I come from a country with a long line of champions: Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey – who Oscar De La Hoya fought. It’s definitely going to be a firefight. He goes by the name, ‘bully.’ My plan for the fight is to ‘bully the bully.’”
Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO, Golden Boy
On Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia in the main event…
“This is a great matchup, but I like Ryan’s chances because of what I see in his eyes and what I smell in the air. It’s going to be a war. When I last saw Ryan. This is a fight where that he’s been waiting for all his life. I have to give it to him – I love Ryan’s chances.”
On the depth of ‘The Ring: High Stakes’ card…
“This is a stacked championship card, and I can’t wait to see our Golden Boys take the next step to greatness. Duarte is one of those fighters who keeps evolving, and even Ryan Garcia says he is the ‘hardest puncher he’s ever faced.”
“What is there to say about Bek the Bully? He’s in tough with Agbeko – a man who’s been in the ring with top contenders, but we believe Bek is ready for the moment and ready to deliver a victory.”
“This card is top to bottom one of the best cards I’ve seen. It’s always great to see a stacked card like this on DAZN.”
Keith Connolly, Connolly Boxing
On the growth he’s seen from Richardson Hitchins…
“When I signed him two and a half years ago I said, ‘you have pound-for-pound talent.’ I’ll stick by my word, in the next year or two, he’ll be in the top ten pound-for-pound list. We want to fight guys like Devin Haney…but his talents are endless and he has no ceiling. When all is said and done, he could go down as one of the best all-time greats.”
Rick Reeno, CEO, RIng Magazine
On the main event…
“Both of these guys have had some ups and downs, but they’re both hungry and trying to make a statement. When you have two Mexican fighters looking to do that, it’s guaranteed fireworks. I expect a very exciting fight and the talking is almost done.”
On his thoughts on the entirety of ‘The Ring: High Stakes’ card…
“This is an outstanding undercard with three world title fights…some of which could serve as a main event on their own. Richardson Hitchins wants all the smoke and steps into the ring with Oscar Duarte, but Oscar has heart and he comes to fight. Of course, Richardson wants to bet on the knockout. However, don’t blink at Gary Antuanne Russell and Andy Hiraoka – neither one of them wants to go the distance. Ever since Frank Martin entered the junior welterweight division they now call him the ‘KO Kid.’ [Nahir] Albright knows how to upset the odds, though, and he’s confident. ‘Bek the Bully’ [Melikuziev] and [Sena] Agbeko will be bombs away, too.”
Henry Garcia, Garcia Trainer
On being Ryan’s trainer again…
“We have the winning team. We have Ryan in tip top shape and we have a good team. I’ve heard reporters and trainers say, ‘Which Ryan is going to show up?’ I gave you the answer and we’re going to win this.”
Joe Goossen, Barrios Trainer
On how training camp has gone…
“Mario has been a model fighter in the gym during this training camp. He’s exceeded expectations and he’s tackled every assignment I’ve given him.”
On what he’s brought to Mario’s game…
“You don’t get to be champion of the world without a lot of talent. Sometimes when you have someone on the outside looking in, you’re going to find things that are meaningful. Those are the things we address: tightening the defense and making the offense more explosive than it already was.”
On how his knowledge of Ryan Garvia prepared Mario for this fight…
“I don’t really think that it served me a big advantage here, because you can just break the tape down. You have so many fights to look at. Working with Ryan for those three fights gave me a little insight, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything that’s going to be meaningful.”
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