Ryan Garcia will officially have a chance to call himself a world champion.

According to the popular welterweight contender, he’ll be taking on Mario Barrios on February 21. A location hasn’t been revealed, but the 27-year-old seemed excited about the new opportunity when sharing the news on his social media accounts overnight Wednesday.

"I am going to be fighting for the real WBC championship belt against Mario Barrios, February 21," Garcia said in an Instagram video while demonstratively signing his portion of their supposed contract. "Get ready, cause I’m coming."

For the California native, beating Barrios would legitimize his claims following his latest appearance. The former WBC interim lightweight champion fought listlessly against Rolando Romero on May 2 in New York’s Times Square. Although he was viewed as a heavy favorite, he was dropped in round two before losing a fairly wide decision.

A few weeks after that defeat, Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) revealed that an injury to his right hand, followed by subsequent surgery, turned him into a shell of his former self.

Since undergoing that procedure, he’s promised to return, back and better than ever. He’ll now get a chance to test that surgically repaired hand on Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs).

As for the current WBC welterweight beltholder, he’s gone on a winless run. The Ring’s No. 9 ranked 147-pounder was held to consecutive 12-round draws in defenses against Abel Ramos and returning Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao, despite being a sizable favorite in both fights.

The 30-year-old titlist won the interim version of his WBC title by outpointing former champion Yordenis Ugas in September 2023. He was later elevated to full champion in June 2024 after then-undisputed beltholder Terence Crawford announced his move to junior middleweight.