Goossen said Barrios was as sharp as any fighter he’d ever trained for a championship fight and that Barrios would be 10 times better than he previously showed in a stretch of uneven fights. And then 24 seconds into the fight, Barrios, who came in as the WBC welterweight titleholder, was knocked down after absorbing his third punch and he never got back into the bout, losing every round of the fight on one scorecard en route to a unanimous-decision defeat.

Garcia was the busier fighter throughout the clash, connecting with 185 punches compared to 106 from Barrios, according to CompuBox. Garcia also threw 539 punches, 211 more than Barrios.

“That’s exactly how Ryan fights and that’s exactly how I knew he was going to fight. We tried to prepare for it as best as we could,” Goossen told reporters after the fight. “Aside from the knockdown in the first round, and a few other shots Ryan landed, we blocked a lot of his shots. Ryan obviously outscored us. He’s tricky, he’s great on his feet and will tie you up on the inside because that’s not his favorite place to be, and then he’ll move you around and walk you into some shots.

“Ryan is smart, he’s fast. Ryan will pick and choose what he likes to do … I’ve often said, ‘You don't really train Ryan, you collaborate with him.’ You can interpret that any way you like. Ryan is his own man, and he’s one of a kind … He’s the champion of the world now. He has a lot going for him. I’m happy for Ryan, and I’m sad for Mario. He put in a lot of work.”

Goossen also revealed that Barrios’ days as a 147-pounder appear to be over and that a move to the stacked 154-pound division should be next.

“[Going up to the junior middleweight division] had been in discussion with his management while he was in this camp,” Goossen said. “He’s one of the biggest welterweights I’ve ever seen. Mario is 30 years old now and cutting that weight was pretty treacherous. It will play tricks with your body, and not in a good way.

“I really think the weight had a little factor in not being able to push himself in the late rounds. I was trying to get him to do it, but time was running out. He did his best. He took the punches. He could have packed it in early, but he kept on trying … But not to make any excuses – Ryan deserves the credit.”

If Barrios (29-3-2, 18 KOs) is done at welterweight, he’ll end his four-year run in the division with a 3-2-2 record.

Barrios lost to Keith Thurman during his division debut in February 2022. It was his first fight after getting knocked out by Gervonta Davis in June 2021 as a 140-pounder.

After the Thurman fight, Barrios beat Jovanie Santiago and then scored a career-best win against former titleholder Yordenis Ugas for the WBC interim belt in September 2023. Barrios followed up the Ugas victory with a win versus Fabian Maidana.

Barrios was elevated as the WBC’s full titleholder in 2024 when the undisputed champion Terence Crawford left the division.

But Barrios never defended the title with a winning performance, settling for draws against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao before Garcia took his title away.

“The highs are high in boxing and the lows are lows,” Barrios said on social media on Monday. “It wasn’t my night Saturday. Garcia fought the smarter fight, but I’ll be back better. I appreciate those who stick with me with the ups and downs.”

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