Tonight, we’ll witness the historic tripleheader at Times Square. In the main event, Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) will face Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) for the WBA welterweight title. This will be an action-packed fight between two boxers who like to entertain. Both boxers are moving up a division and will fight for the first time at 147 pounds. Rolly outgrew the 140-pound division, stating it was long overdue. He’s 2-2 in his last four fights; a victory against a superstar like Ryan would place him back on the winning path.
At yesterday’s weigh-in, Rolly said he envisions a vicious knockout. His strategy will be to pressure and knock Garcia out. With the added weight, he believes he’s stronger and more capable of doing so. His last match against Manuel Jaimes went the distance, and although he won, offensively he was not impressive, landing 18 percent of his jabs and 27.8 percent of his overall punches (Compubox). Maybe his less-than-stellar performance can be attributed to his struggling to make weight; he should reap the benefits of not having to cut so much weight for this fight. He’s made it known he feels physically better and has more power.
Ryan Garcia makes his return after his yearlong suspension for having tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine in his match last April against Devin Haney. Now he finds himself once again in New York against an opponent with whom he has some familiarity, having sparred with Romero in the past. According to Rolly, he got the best of Ryan, “He got his a** beat twice and the third time’s the charm.” Those sparring sessions took place 8 years ago and both boxers are much different today. Their skills have evolved, and physically, they’ve changed. At that time, both were similar in size, but Ryan is now taller and appears physically bigger than Rolly.
Both fighters have knockout power, which makes this an interesting match. A mistake by either could result in a costly mistake. Ryan, however, holds the edge in overall speed and agility. Garcia has a 2-inch reach advantage, which will allow him to control the distance. At his open workout in San Diego, he demonstrated better footwork. He’ll utilize his legs to create angles and frustrate Rolly. If Ryan decides to employ the shoulder roll against Romero, it will be a mistake. He’ll be giving Rolly unneeded opportunities by making himself a stationary target. Being overly confident or taking Romero lightly can pose a danger. He must not look to what is on the horizon, a potential match against Devin Haney. If he successfully defeats Rolly and Devin does the same against Jose Ramirez, they will meet in October in Saudi Arabia. He must
focus on the task at hand and respect Romero for the power puncher that he is. Although he’s struggled as of late, the added weight will benefit Rolly. The potential of ring rust for having been away a year for Ryan could cause him to get off to a slow start. He must box intelligently and not allow Rolly to gain an early lead. The world will be watching his long-awaited return; he now must live up to expectations and perform.
Last Updated on 05/02/2025
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