Ryan Garcia goes down as $77m plan goes up in smoke after boxing boilover
Romero produced a knock down in Round 2 and then slowed down the pace of the fight from that point onwards and Garcia walked right into the trap.
The final punch stats showed Romero as the aggressor, throwing 267 punches to Garcia's 207 but landing 11 less total punches than 'King Ry.'
The judges scored it 115-112, 115-112, 118-109 and it marks just the second loss of Garcia's career.
It was supposed to be the stepping stone fight to a rematch with Haney who beat Jose Ramirez on the undercard in New York. Garcia previously claimed he made $50 million ($77 AUD) from their first fight after betting on himself.
In April of last year, Ryan knocked down Haney three times on the way to a decision victory, but that result was wiped out and the bout declared a no-contest after it was revealed Garcia failed a pre-fight drug test.
In June Garcia was arrested for reportedly causing some $15,000 worth of damage at a hotel in Beverly Hills and a month later he was suspended from World Boxing Council events for making racist comments on social media.
He had planned a New Year's exhibition against kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo, but that fell through when Garcia suffered a wrist injury in training.
Romero paid tribute to Garcia after the fight.
Devin Haney cannot believe his eyes watching Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero 😳
Buy @FATALFURY_PR: City of the Wolves out now and watch The Ring’s Times Square card LIVE on DAZN NOW � pic.twitter.com/p2PZMdECct
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 3, 2025
'Knock downs always help win the fight but he's a warrior and he got up and finished the fight,' Romero said on Main Event.
'I ain't even thinking about who is next. I think Devin and Ryan should get their rematch and get a big one (payday).'
Garcia was gracious in defeat and said he was beaten by the better man on the way.
'Rolly fought a good fight, he caught me early and no excuses, congrats to him, he did a great job and that's that,' Garcia said.
'Hats off to Rolly.
'I just need to go to the drawing board with my team, we'll talk it over and see what's next.'
HANEY WINS BUT 'NIGHTMARE' HANGOVER REMAINS
It was far from a 'Dream' but Devin Haney is back in the win column.
After a year layoff from suffering three disastrous knockdowns against Ryan Garcia in a no contest last April, the 'Dream' returned to action Friday night, producing a unanimous decision over Jose Ramirez at The Ring's Fatal Fury: Times Square in New York City.
There, judges scored it 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110 all in Haney's favor, though his performance was far from special.
The final punch stats showed Haney threw 224 punches, only landing a total of 70 consisting of 45 power shots and just 25 jabs.
Haney started the bout Friday night looking extremely tentative, going several seconds without throwing a single punch and appearing to still be facing the mental effects of the loss he took to Garcia that was later changed to a no-contest after the latter failed a drug test.
Midway through the fight, though, Haney began opening up his offense a bit by unleashing stinging combinations and crunching uppercuts, though he didn't mash the dash and capitalize on any of his output.
Ramirez was bullishly pressuring, as expected, and managed to land some pounding shots though it was clear he was a step behind Haney's speed.
It was far from a highlight win but Haney did more than enough to win.
RESULTS
Rolly Romero def. Ryan Garcia - unanimous decision
Devin Haney def. Jose Ramirez - unanimous decision
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Michelle Cooper, the former president of Australia's triathlon governing body, has had her complaint about the World Triathlon 2024 presidential election upheld by the body that arbitrates on legal disputes in global sport. World Triathlon executive board member Liber Garcia breached the governing body's anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy in the lead-up to the election, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled. Antonio Fernandez Arimany won the election to succeed fellow Spaniard Marisol Casado as president. Cooper, who ran for the presidency of the global ruling body, lodged a complaint last year alleging election misconduct. Uruguayan Garcia, president of Americas Triathlon, was given a warning as the CAS's ruling partially upheld a March 2025 decision by the World Triathlon Tribunal and said a predetermined "favourites list" influenced the outcome of the elections and that some candidates were encouraged to withdraw. "While I was disappointed the CAS panel reduced (Garcia's) sanction to a warning, the key outcome remains unchanged: misconduct occurred. The finding of guilt stands," Cooper wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. "Sport governance must not become theatre, where ethical breaches are acknowledged but not acted on. We have the ruling. We have the facts. Now we need the action. Let this be the moment we all say: enough." The verdict comes less than two weeks after the publication of a wide-ranging report on the current state and future of triathlon, which has faced problems due to differing governing bodies, changing formats and struggles for commercial and TV backing. The report called for creating a unified commercial ecosystem, focusing on festival-style formats and investing in mass participation in the swim-bike-run sport.
