His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, still believes there is a silver lining for the star contender when Garcia faces WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on February 21 to headline “The Ring: High Stakes” show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The last time Garcia entered the ring in May, he was dropped and looked listless as a heavy favorite during a unanimous-decision loss against Rolando Romero. Garcia’s performance followed a one-year suspension after he tested positive for the performance enhancing drug Ostarine following a three-knockdown, majority-decision win over Devin Haney in April 2024 that was later ruled a no-contest.

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) is training full time once again with his father, Henry, for the first time since 2018 after separating from Derrick James following a three-fight run. Preceding James was Hall of Fame coach Joe Goossen, who replaced Eddy Reynoso and trained Garcia for three fights from 2022 to ‘23.

Goossen is now training Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) for the first time and looking to stick it to his former charge after Garcia called him a “traitor” during a heated exchange at a kickoff press conference last month.

“I actually like the combination of Ryan and Henry,” said De La Hoya, who was no stranger to firing and hiring a series of coaches during his heyday. “Henry is going to get him in great shape. They know exactly what they have to do. Ryan is looking great. Ryan is motivated once again. I see him with passion and a lot of heart and love for the sport. When you have a Ryan Garcia who’s disciplined, dedicated, and devoted to the sport, you have one dangerous man.”

De La Hoya also commented on Goossen training Garcia, a reversal of roles he’s experienced firsthand. For his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007, De La Hoya was trained by Freddie Roach, but they split after the loss. In 2009, Roach coached Manny Pacquiao and crushed De La Hoya into retirement.

“This is obviously a tactic from Barrios,” De La Hoya said. “They want to distract Ryan with mind games and psychological warfare. One thing about Ryan is that he’s very emotional. He has to stay in his lane and stay focused and determined.”

Barrios is coming into the Garcia clash off a majority draw against a then-46-year-old Pacquiao in July. It was the second consecutive inconclusive result for Barrios, who also fought to a split draw against Abel Ramos after trading knockdowns with him in November 2024.

“I think Barrios respected Pacquiao a little too much,” De La Hoya said. “Barrios had the chance to beat Pacquiao without problems. He did good considering the circumstances, but he could have done better. But I’ll tell you one thing, because of that experience, we’re going to see a Barrios that we haven’t seen before.”

Should Garcia win, it would be his first victory since an eighth-round knockout of Oscar Duarte in December 2023. He would suddenly set himself up for title unification fights and rematches against old rivals in Haney, the WBO champion, and Romero, the WBA titleholder. A bout against WBC No. 1 contender Conor Benn could also be a possibility.

“This is going to be a very entertaining fight,” De La Hoya said. “The welterweight division is open right now and it’s there for the taking.”

DAZN will distribute “The Ring: High Stakes” to non-subscribers on pay-per-view for $69.99 in the United States and £24.99 in the United Kingdom. The show is included in DAZN’s Ultimate monthly plan for subscribers ($44.99; £24.99).

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.