It seemed like an insulting overture for the WBC welterweight titleholder, but also somewhat of an appropriate question to ask because every Tom, Dick and Harry at 147 pounds is clamoring for a crack at his crown, simply because they believe Barrios is beatable and the easiest route to a world title.

Barrios has been discredited and disparaged and it seems like a tough pill to swallow, especially for an Aztec warrior who's incredibly proud of his indigenous heritage and the sacred circles he’s emerged from. Barrios dons ancestral-inspired tattoos on the side of his head and neck, and he marches to the ring under the beat of his people’s drums while wearing elaborate Aztec clothing.

Garcia, a social sensation cut from a much more different cloth, has labeled Barrios "generic, worn and slowed down" and “nothing special.”

Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) will find out if his proclamations of Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) are true when they headline "The Ring: High Stakes" show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on DAZN PPV.

"Yeah, I do [feel disrespected that they think I'm a beatable champion]," Barrios told The Ring. "I don't put too much weight into the background noise. I know that I'm in this position for a reason due to all of the work that I've put in. I just stay quiet and work. I don't feel any pressure. I'm definitely looking to make a statement and defend my title.”

Barrios, a 30-year-old from San Antonio, Texas, is believed to be a cherry pick for Garcia, as was the case in his last fight when Manny Pacquiao returned from a four-year retirement and specifically targeted Barrios for a presumed layup despite a full court of other viable players.

Much like Pacquiao tried to pluck the WBC belt, Garcia is trying to put himself in an advantageous position to do the same. The WBC curiously listed Garcia in its welterweight rankings to set him up for the title shot even though he suffered defeat during his lone fight in the division last year.

A similar situation happened with Pacquiao, who was suddenly ranked by the WBC before his July bout against Barrios despite the incredible inactivity. Pacquiao, who was at 46 at the time, did enough in the eyes of observers to land a decision but the fight was ruled a majority draw.

“There are a lot of things I could have done better in the Pacquiao fight,” said Barrios. “I could have applied more pressure and did a lot more in the early rounds. Father Time has its effects on everybody, but Pacquiao is a legend and was still tricky and awkward. If I took it to him earlier, it would have been a very different outcome. Regardless, I took a lot from the experience and will apply it to my fights moving forward.”

The performance against Pacquiao was the second consecutive draw for Barrios. In November 2024, Barrios traded knockdowns with the faded Abel Ramos during the first defense of his title on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul matchup on Netflix.

Barrios was elevated as the WBC champion in 2024 once Terence Crawford left the division. Barrios had won the interim crown when he dropped Yordenis Ugas twice and beat the Cuban in September 2023 in what still stands as his career-best victory.

Whenever Barrios has stepped up the competition, however, he’s fallen short. His losses have come against Gervonta Davis by knockout in 2021 and Keith Thurman by unanimous decision in 2022.

To prepare for the occasion against Garcia, Barrios bestowed coaching duties to Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen, who cornered Garcia three times from 2022 to ‘23 before Garcia fired him after his own loss to Davis.

Barrios, The Ring’s No. 9-ranked welterweight, realizes that he could be running out of high-profile opportunities if he doesn’t beat Garcia.

“I want to do as much as I can in the next couple of years in the sport of boxing,” said Barrios. “Me and my team felt that it was the best route to go to have Joe Goossen in my corner. I can definitely have a successful stretch with Joe and accomplish as much as I can. We mesh very well together. The aggression, the punch output – I'm excited to show everything that we've been working on.”

Barrios also emphasized that he’s not applying a masterstroke of psychological warfare and gamesmanship by employing Goossen. Barrios had already made up his mind that Goossen was going to be his next coach before the Garcia fight came to fruition. Barrios was previously trained by the well-respected Bob Santos in Las Vegas.

“Mario is as sharp as any fighter I have ever trained for a championship fight,” Goossen told The Ring. “Whatever you thought of Mario, multiply it by 10 and that's what you're going to get on February 21.”

That’s an incredible assessment from Goossen, who’s trained the likes of Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor, Shane Mosley, James Toney and Michael Nunn over his 50-year career.

“It’s been a nice change of scenery training in Los Angeles; I like it,” said Barrios. “Ryan isn't a topic of conversation with Joe other than what we're working on in the gym and talking about the habits he has in the ring. Joe knows him very well. Regardless of that, I've been able to get a blueprint just from watching Ryan’s last performances, and the habits he's shown in his fights.”

Much like Barrios has his weaknesses, Garcia does, too. Garcia is coming off an upset loss against Rolando Romero in May, as he looked listless during his welterweight debut, getting dropped en route to a unanimous decision defeat.

“I didn't think anything good [of his performance against Romero]. I don't know what to make of it,” said Barrios. “It kind of got to a point where it seemed that he didn't even want to be in there anymore. If I see that version of Ryan, I am going to be in there with bad intentions and get him out of there.

“A lot of people don't really know where Ryan is [mentally and physically]. I can't dwell on that too much. I know I'm focused and had a strong camp. I'm here to do my job. Whatever he does, that's on him … I know what I'm doing. I'm training. I'm not worried about streaming and doing all this other s*** [like Garcia has been doing].

“I wish he had a great camp and hopefully he's good mentally, wherever he's at. If he thinks it's going to be easy, come fight, he's going to be very surprised with who's standing across from him.”

Barrios went on to say that he’s the biggest threat in the welterweight division and that Garcia will get exposed in a one-sided fight come Saturday night.

If the betting underdog Barrios beats Garcia, he’ll surely be back in a big fight with a sizable opportunity, most likely in a title unification bout against WBO champion Devin Haney, WBA titleholder Rolando Romero or WBC No. 1 challenger Conor Benn. Barrios would also be a strong candidate to defend his title on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s September 12 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is being billed as “Mexico vs. The World.”

But first, the prideful Barrios must resurrect his standing in the sport, rise to the occasion and bury Garcia.

“I don't know if Ryan is deserving of the title shot, but he's definitely one of the biggest names to make the fight with,” said Barrios.

“Ryan is a dangerous fighter. I'm not taking that away from him. I know that I am the better fighter. I know what I bring when I step in there. There are things that he does [with a left hook] that I have to be careful and cautious about. That being said, he hasn't been in there with a true welterweight yet – but he's going to be. My hand will be raised at the end of the night, by any means necessary.”