“I’m hoping that Rolly catches Ryan and puts his damn lights out.” Calling Garcia a ‘drug cheat,’ this is what Claressa Shields had said as he geared up for his comeback fight against Rolando Romero last April. Roughly 10 months later, as Ryan Garcia gears up for a shot at Mario Barrios’ WBC welterweight title, Shields seems to have set aside the bad blood between them. She believes the Victorville native stands a good chance of becoming a first-time world champion.

“I don’t like Ryan Garcia at all,” Shields said while speaking with DAZN. “But I will say that I think that he will become champion against Mario Barrios.”

Speaking ahead of her own undisputed title defense against Franchón Crews-Dezurn, Claressa Shields made it clear that she’s not trying to criticize Barrios. Like many, her concerns center on the issue that frequently plagues the champion – his inability to push beyond his limits when it’s needed the most.

She lamented how, despite being a great fighter, Mario Barrios underutilizes his skills, which invariably leads him to fights that more often than not end in stalemates, like the most recent match where he failed to take control from an aging and coming-out-of-retirement Manny Pacquiao.

In comparison, Ryan Garcia is more athletic, Shields noted. With his signature move—the invariably dangerous left hook—the task appears more daunting for Barrios, she added.

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“I don’t know if Mario Barrios is going to push past his limits to where he can actually win a fight,” she said. “I think that this is a perfect opportunity for Ryan to become a world champion after these fights and all these attempts.”

According to the multi-division champion, a win favors Ryan Garcia. Barrios’ laid-back approach is likely to hurt him against a fast-hitting fighter like Garcia, even though they are evenly matched, Shields felt.

Quite a few observers seem to echo Shields’ sentiments, especially about Barrios. If Shields has been concise about her feelings about Ryan Garcia, Paulie Malignaggi has been equally direct about his views on Mario Barrios.

Malignaggi adds fuel to Ryan Garcia hype, joins Shields in backing him vs. Barrios

“Mario Barrios sucks,” Paulie Malignaggi said on his YouTube channel last year. “He sucks, just a horrible, horrible champion. Might be the worst champion I’ve ever seen in my life.”

That criticism continues to surface. Like Shields, Malignaggi expects Garcia to come into the fight mentally sharper after his previous performance and predicts he’ll be aggressive and explosive. Barrios’ style will give Ryan Garcia plenty of openings to land big punches.

“One of the main points I make about Barrios’ technical deficiencies is that jab on the front foot,” Malignaggi pointed out. “When you are 6’1″, I think a jab on the front foot is always a bad habit to have. But when you’re 6’1″, you’re just asking to get punched in the mouth. I mean, you’re just asking for it.”

Taken together, those technical concerns help explain the broader outlook around the matchup. Despite the controversies, the loss to Rolando Romero, and the hand surgery that kept him out for a prolonged stretch, Garcia still comes off as a heavy-to-moderate favorite in the fight. Despite holding a boxing great like Manny Pacquiao to a draw, Barrios, meanwhile, steps in as the underdog.

Whatever the predictions, one thing remains clear. For both Garcia and Barrios, it’s the most critical fight of their careers. A decisive bout where Garcia can either silence his critics or end up making another excuse if he fails, and then cut a sorry figure. Likewise, for Barrios, a win over a star fighter like Garcia would silence the naysayers like Shields and Malignaggi, who have long questioned his fighting skills.