Ryan Garcia looks to bounce back from uninspired loss when he faces Mario Barrios: 'Do or die moment'

Garcia gets a title shot on Saturday against Barrios despite losing his most recent outing

As one of the most exciting, dynamic and often enigmatic superstars in the sport of boxing, Ryan Garcia typically walks to the beat of his own drum, which can often create opportunities that others don't receive. 

Take for instance the fact that Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs), who has never won a scheduled fight at 147 pounds and is fresh off of a lifeless defeat to WBA welterweight titleholder Rolando Romero last May, will challenge for Mario Barrios' WBC title on Saturday when the two meet in a headlining fight (DAZN PPV, 7:55 p.m. ET) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

Garcia, 27, isn't just entering the fight against Barrios (29-2-2, 18 KOs) following a loss, he's also not that far removed from serving a one-year suspension for a failed a drug test following his 2024 win over Devin Haney (that later became a no contest), which led to his life publicly spiraling out of control amid drug use, a mental health episode and a series of racist rants on social media. 

One thing Garcia, besides his massive following on social media that features nearly 13 million followers on Instagram alone, has going for him is that when he's mentally present and prepared to fight, he has an almost electrifying combination of power and speed that is a potential problem for any elite foe. 

"When I'm at the top of my game," Garcia told CBS Sports on Tuesday, "I don't think anyone can really mess with me."