Ryan Garcia hasn’t had the best year. After finally returning from suspension earlier in 2025, he stepped into the ring against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero—a fight many expected him to win. Instead, the Victorville native was dropped, shocked, and rocked on his way to a unanimous decision loss. The defeat derailed his rematch with Devin Haney. Since then, Garcia has stayed on the sidelines, fighting only once this year—until Jake Paul entered the picture.

‘The Problem Child’ had his own bad luck. His showdown with Gervonta Davis was scrapped after Davis became embroiled in a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend. Reports soon surfaced that ‘King Ry’ was approached as a replacement, and he was open to the idea. However, his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, crushed any hope of the matchup, reminding everyone that Garcia fights under DAZN while Paul is signed with Netflix. Since then, Garcia hasn’t stayed silent.

Garcia claims the Jake Paul fight collapse wasn’t his fault

Earlier today, the 27-year-old boxer took to X to declare, “It is not my fault that I couldn’t fight Jake Paul.” He claimed that if the fight had gone through, he would’ve defeated Jake Paul this year and made his return to the ring by February. “I would’ve [run] that with him and then have a real fight in February. I’ve been preparing myself for a while now,” he added. “All good, though those who [have] bad intentions never win in the end.”

Meanwhile, the Cleveland-born influencer turned boxer has been linked to several potential opponents, though none have been confirmed by his promotion, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). It was initially expected that ‘El Gallo’ would fight before the year’s end, but with no concrete matchup, that seems increasingly unlikely. However, the entire ordeal must have put a dent in MVP’s pocket, and with the Netflix payout gone, Paul wouldn’t be happy. 

As for Ryan Garcia, missing out on the Paul bout might not sting too much. The former interim WBC lightweight champion is reportedly in talks to face Mario Barrios for his welterweight title—a fight his promoter fully supports. “I think that’s the perfect fight for Ryan to come back to,” said Oscar De La Hoya. With Ryan Garcia’s WBC suspension now lifted, the matchup appears more plausible than ever.

If the fight does happen, the question remains: can Ryan Garcia bounce back from his recent loss?

Timothy Bradley predicts Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios

Former two-division world champion Timothy Bradley has shared his thoughts on the potential Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios fight. Speaking to FightHype, Bradley explained, “He [Garcia] is going to need a better performance [than last time out], because if he brings that type of performance into the ring with Barrios, Barrios is going to eat him up. It is going to be easy work.”

Bradley also questioned Garcia’s ability to handle pressure, saying, “I notice one thing about Garcia; he doesn’t like power.” He added that while Garcia’s left hook could be dangerous, Barrios’ experience and fundamentals could make the difference. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that Garcia is going to just walk through a guy like Barrios,” Bradley said. “Right now, I favour Barrios… he’s got a good jab, good fundamentals, good boxing IQ.”

Having said that, Ryan Garcia will have to prove that he is still an elite name in boxing. He might have missed out on a big payday, but beating Barrios will add to his legacy. But do you think he can?