Ryan Garcia took on Rolly Romero in what was an eagerly awaited battle for the WBA Welterweight crown at Times Square. Sadly, the match would not unfold in his favor. With the victory, Romero handed Garcia his second professional defeat, raising his record to 26 wins, including 22 knockouts. The unanimous decision loss for Romero leaves questions about Garcia’s future inside the boxing ring.
Then in the second round, everything just flipped on its head as Romero hit Tank twice with huge left hooks. Omar did it in emphatic fashion, smashing Garcia to the mat! Despite recovering from the knockdown, Garcia struggled to regain his footing, and Romero continued to dominate the match, showcasing a commanding performance throughout the twelve rounds. The judges ultimately scored the fight 115-112 on two cards and 118-109 on the third, reflecting the decisive nature of Romero’s victory.
This victory followed a very rocky stretch for Garcia, who had only recently returned from a doping suspension. Unfortunately, his defeat has thrown his planned rematch with Devin Haney into doubt, making his career trajectory that much more complicated. Garcia expressed feelings regarding his time off, stating, “I just think that whole year (off) took a lot off my body physically, mentally.”
Garcia’s fight was more than just a doping scandal. Photos by Aaron P. Bernstein—Bloomberg via Getty Images Earlier this year, he was arrested after allegedly maliciously damaging nearly $15,000 worth of goods at a Beverly Hills hotel. Yet he has been suspended from World Boxing Council matches for those actions. This comes after allegations of multiple racist posts on social media attributed to him.
Garcia’s troubles go far beyond his defeat to Romero. His initial return was going to be a New Year’s exhibition match with kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo. Unfortunately, a severe wrist injury he sustained while training for the Games thwarted that chance. All that said, prior to dealing with these issues, he pulled off the upset of the year against Devin Haney. He knocked Haney out three times during their fight. That victory was eventually turned into a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for a substance in a pre-fight drug test.
After the victory against Romero, Garcia admitted to some much needed soul searching and plotting with his corner team.
“I’m just happy I made it to the ring and went 12 rounds. Hats off to Rolly … just got to go to the drawing board with my team. We’ll talk it over and see what we do next.” – Ryan Garcia
