Ryan Garcia has announced he has signed to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on Feb. 21 but did not confirm a location.
Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) has never won a fight at welterweight and is coming off a defeat to Rolly Romero in May which followed a no contest against Devin Haney in April last year.
Garcia failed a drug test after initially beating Haney on points.
Haney and Garcia were set to move to a rematch but Garcia's defeat to Romero disrupted those plans. Haney will fight Brian Norman Jr. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the WBO welterweight title.
Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) is coming off back-to-back draws against Manny Pacquiao in July and Abel Ramos in November 2024. The 30-year-old won the interim WBC title at 147 pounds in September 2023 before being elevated to full champion.
"My next fight announcement, I got the contract right here like I promised you guys. I am going to fighting for the real WBC championship belt against Mario Barrios Feb. 21. Get ready," Garcia said in a post on X on Thursday.
Conor Benn called out Barrios following his win over Chris Eubank Jr. on Saturday, saying he wants to move back down to 147 lbs after fighting Eubank Jr. twice at 160 lbs.
In recent days, Benn and Garcia have also gone back-and-forth on social media expressing an interest in fighting each other, potentially in the UK.