Last year, Ryan Garcia’s journey leading up to his fight with Devin Haney was nothing short of chaotic. His erratic behavior raised serious concerns about his mental state, and those worries only grew as fight night approached. Although Garcia ultimately defeated Haney, his victory was later overturned after tests revealed Ostarine in his system, leading to a suspension from boxing. 

Despite claiming his antics were part of a marketing strategy, Garcia’s subsequent racist and Islamophobic remarks on social media drew widespread backlash, prompting the World Boxing Council (WBC) to ban him from competing for their titles. While Garcia later apologized for his comments, the damage was done, until now. Over a year later, there appears to be a new chapter unfolding. 

WBC officially unbans Ryan Garcia

“The WBC Board of Governors has voted in favor of lifting the ban on @RyanGarcia after his successful process which had been documented,” Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on X. “The WBC has been very close to Ryan, his family, management and promoter and we trust a new life inside and outside the ring will begin. We welcome you with open arms and trust you will be an ambassador for the new generation.” 

And no one seems happier about the decision than Ryan Garcia himself. Shortly after Sulaiman’s X post, Garcia fired off one of his own. “I’m officially unbanned from the WBC,” the Victorville native wrote on X. “I want to thank the WBC for seeing my efforts of change and making this decision. I’m ready to put that green and gold belt on and [represent] as a true champion.”

Garcia is, of course, coming off a unanimous decision loss to Rolando Romero earlier this year, which shocked a lot of people. Since then, he has been looking for his next dance partner for the ring, with the previously talked-about Devin Haney rematch scrapped thanks to Garcia’s loss. According to reports, Garcia was approached to replace Gervonta Davis against Jake Paul after Davis was sued by his ex for alleged domestic violence. 

However, Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, has clarified that the fight is impossible since Garcia fights for DAZN and Paul is fighting on Netflix. So, this begs the question: What does Garcia plan to do after being unbanned by the WBC? 

Garcia may now fight Mario Barrios for the latter’s title

‘King Ry’ may soon get another shot at world championship glory, and that could be the reason the WBC has allowed him to compete for their belt. According to The Ring, Garcia and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios are closing in on a deal for a title fight in the first quarter of next year, with Golden Boy Promotions and PBC already exchanging contracts.

Barrios, of course, retained his belt against Manny Pacquiao earlier this year after their fight reached a hard-fought draw. The Garcia-Barrios bout would mark Garcia’s first world title fight since his 2023 defeat to Gervonta Davis at 135 pounds. If finalized, a Garcia-Barrios matchup could set the stage for a massive unification down the line, possibly against Devin Haney.

Haney is, of course, set to face Brian Norman Jr. for the WBO welterweight title on 22 November. 

Everything appears to be falling in place for Ryan Garcia, but can he avoid his past mistakes and capitalize on the opportunity ahead of him?