Ryan Garcia’s return to the ring ended in unexpected fashion on Saturday night at Times Square, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Once seen as a redemption arc following his doping suspension, Garcia’s performance raised more questions than answers.
Dropped in the second round and outboxed for much of the fight, the former interim champ couldn’t replicate the firepower that led him to knock Devin Haney down three times last year. The outcome not only put a dent in Garcia’s momentum but also clouded plans for a highly anticipated rematch with Haney.
Speaking to YSM Sports Media, Oscar De La Hoya dismissed any notion that the defeat was disastrous. “A little gun shy, that year off. All that power from Rolly. But he’ll go back to the drawing board and he’ll live to see another day. It’s not devastating at all. At all,” he said.
De La Hoya’s confidence
De La Hoya acknowledged the full twelve rounds as a positive takeaway and expressed confidence that Garcia still knows how to reach his best version. “He knows he’s way better than that. He knows what he has to do.”
Ryan Garcia weighs in for his welterweight bout against Rolando “Rolly” Romero at the Manhattan Center for their fight in Times Square on May 01, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
What’s next? Haney or Rolly again?
Despite the loss and the blow it dealt to the rematch’s appeal, De La Hoya remains convinced that a second fight with Devin Haney is inevitable. “It’ll be back. It has to happen,” he said.
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Garcia, for his part, left the door open for either option, expressing interest in running it back with Romero, now the WBA Regular Welterweight Champion, or revisiting unfinished business with Haney. One thing is clear: Garcia’s next step will be decisive in defining whether this was merely a stumble or the start of a longer fall.
