Rolly Romero says Ryan Garcia had every opportunity to exercise an immediate rematch after their fight, but instead walked away despite the two sides agreeing to all of the major terms.
Romero upset Ryan earlier this year to capture the WBA welterweight title, knocking him down and earning a unanimous decision. Garcia has since shifted his focus elsewhere, while Romero is set to defend his title against Teofimo Lopez on August 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Speaking to reporters, Rolly claimed a deal for a second fight was already in place before Garcia’s team backed out.
“They straight ducked me, bro. We had an immediate rematch, and then we tried to do it again, bro. They just kept ducking,” said Romero to the media about Ryan. “We had a whole immediate rematch. We had a side bet, we had the venue, we had the purses, we had splits, everything. We had every little detail of the rematch set. And then he ran away and didn’t want to do it.”
Rolly said the failed negotiations left him waiting months before he finally moved on to other options.
“Ryan wasted six months of my time,” Romero said.
The WBA champion also dismissed the idea that he avoided other opponents, pointing to his attempts to secure fights with Conor Benn and Devin Haney before landing the Lopez bout.
“We had the whole deal done. We were going to fight May 30th in New York. We had the Barclays Center on that date,” Rolly said of Benn. He later added that his team sent Haney an offer, only to see negotiations stall before accusations surfaced that Romero had priced himself out.
With Ryan pursuing other opportunities, Romero will instead headline a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view against Teofimo Lopez on August 22. Ryan has been linked to a potential fight with his WBC mandatory, Conor Benn, later this year, ending any immediate chance of a rematch with Rolly.
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Last Updated on 2026/07/09 at 8:56 PM
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