Ryan Garcia’s rocky road to redemption hit one other speed bump this week when the WBC fined him $5,000 for submitting his mandatory 14-day weight check video late. While the social media star eventually proved he weighed 154.2 kilos — safely under the 155-pound threshold —the timing violation raises familiar concerns about his professionalism as he prepares to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on February 21.
GARCIA HIT WITH FINE💵
BoxingScene has learned that Ryan Garcia has been hit with a $5,000 fantastic and a warning of further disciplinary motion after failing to satisfy the initial deadline for his 14-day WBC weight-check.
🔗 https://t.co/kRrXdEKQXn pic.twitter.com/gg1mknSbaZ
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) February 14, 2026
The infraction may appear minor on the surface. Garcia’s team was speculated to submit the video by Saturday, February 7, but didn’t provide proof until days later, following a stern warning from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. In contrast, champion Barrios submitted his weight check (153.0 kilos) on time without issue, continuing his track record of compliance that is defined his entire profession.
Nonetheless, context matters tremendously when evaluating Garcia’s latest misstep. This is not an isolated incident — it’s the newest chapter in a troubling pattern that is threatened to derail what needs to be a promising profession.
Just ten months ago, Garcia badly missed weight ahead of his April 2024 fight with then-WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney, setting off a sequence response of controversies. While Garcia dominated Haney to win a majority decision, the victory was overturned to a no-contest after he tested positive for ostarine, a banned performance-enhancing substance. The result? A one-year suspension and forfeiture of his entire $1.1 million purse.
Now, as Garcia attempts to rebuild his popularity and capture his first legitimate world title, this weight check violation — nevertheless small — sends the incorrect message. The WBC’s 14-day weight monitoring exists as a critical preventive measure to forestall dangerous weight cutting. When Sulaiman threatened to contact the Nevada State Athletic Commission about Garcia’s non-compliance, it underscored how seriously the sanctioning body takes these protocols.
The optimistic spin suggests Garcia’s team simply didn’t understand the deadline requirements. Yet for a fighter attempting to prove he’s turned over a brand new leaf, ignorance is hardly an excuse. Skilled boxers at this level must have management teams that understand and comply with every regulatory requirement, especially when their client has already burned through most of his goodwill with boxing’s governing bodies.
Garcia still has a probability to make things right. He’s reportedly passing his VADA drug tests and must hit one other weight check on Saturday at not more than 151.4 kilos (3% above the 147-pound limit). But with each stumble — regardless of how small — the 24-year-old makes it harder to flee the shadow of his past mistakes.
Barrios, meanwhile, continues doing every part right, even when his recent performances against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao each led to controversial draws. For Garcia, the message is obvious: talent alone won’t restore his credibility. Consistency and professionalism will.