00:00In championship results, Ryan Garcia finally claimed a world title, dropping Mario Barrios twice before cruising to a unanimous decision
00:08for the WBC welterweight belt.
00:10It was sharp, composed and arguably the most complete performance of his turbulent career.
00:18The 27-year-old prodigy hasn't had a smooth run of late. His record reads just 1-2 with 1
00:24-0 contest from his last four outings.
00:26That included a high-profile loss to Javonte Davis and a shock defeat to Rolando Romero that looked to completely
00:34stall his ascension.
00:37The lowest point for his career, however, came when his win over Devin Haney for a junior welterweight title was
00:43overturned after he failed the drug test.
00:47This triggered a year-long suspension, during which time he was arrested over alleged property damage at a Beverly Hills
00:54hotel
00:54before being expelled by the WBC for offensive social media remarks.
00:59His rise looked to be over, but the WBC saw money on the horizon.
01:05Mario Barrios may have been the defending champion, but his only two defences were draws,
01:10one of which was to the 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao.
01:13It's almost as if the WBC felt he was beatable, and that the money magnet Garcia was the man to
01:19do it.
01:20So, they reinstated him.
01:24I believe it was like a masterclass, but I should have got the knockout, to be honest, Garcia said after
01:29the win.
01:30It wasn't just the left hook.
01:31Yor was saying, watch out for my left hook the whole time, but you saw my right hand working tonight.
01:37It is his left hand that usually gets the attention, but Garcia leaned on his right hand, dropping Barrios early
01:43and dictating every exchange.
01:45Speed, variation and timing kept Barrios guessing and covering up as Garcia controlled range and tempo until the final bell.
01:55You know who I want? He's right there.
01:58So, Shakur Stevenson, let's go, said Garcia.
02:01Hey, I want to be a great champion, and I'm not scared of s***.
02:04I fought Devin Haney. I'll fight Shakur Stevenson. I'll fight anybody.
02:10Calling out the new lineal and WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson is a huge step up in competition,
02:16especially as he already has a win over Haney.
02:19It would also be one of the biggest fights of the year, so for once, the option could be worth
02:24the payday.
02:26In the co-main, Gary Antoine Russell retained his WBA super lightweight title.
02:31The American outpointed Andy Hirooka in a fight that drifted from total control into late low-blow chaos that almost
02:38saw the Japanese fighter taking over.
02:42And speaking of Japanese takeovers, Naoya Inoue is set to make his return this May 2nd at the Tokyo Dome
02:49for what is set to be a genuine super fight.
02:52The monster will face Junto Nakatani in a showdown that will arguably be the biggest clash in Japanese boxing history.
02:58Inoue will enter the stadium with the ring, IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO junior featherweight belts,
03:06following a statement-making 2025, four wins, four demolitions, and universal acclaim as the year's best fighter.
03:15Nakatani, also unbeaten from his 32 starts, is the three-division champion who made his successful junior featherweight debut in
03:22December
03:23with the sole intention of meeting Inoue.
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