Rolando Romero disrupts Ryan Garcia's plans in massive upset

NEW YORK -- What was supposed to be a memorable event in Times Square on Friday night turned out to be a forgettable one with no action and left boxing fans disappointed. The plan was for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney to win their respective fights and meet for a highly anticipated rematch later this year. Haney fulfilled his promise, albeit with a poor decision, but Rolando "Roll" Romero disrupted the fight by shocking Garcia with a unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 118-109) to end an underwhelming night of fights. In the main event, Garcia's return to boxing after a one-year suspension for failing a drug test after his April 2024 fight with Haney was a disaster. Garcia (24-2, 1 NC) entered the fight as a -1000 favorite on ESPN BET. In the 12-round contest, however, he was unable to unleash his signature left hook or produce any significant offense. Picks by the Editor It is time for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney to part ways, at least for the time being. Andreas Hale, 8h In Times Square, Lopez defeats Barbosa to keep the belt. 8hAndreas Hale

Instead, Romero (17-2) dropped Garcia with a left hook in Round 2 to set the tone early. Although Garcia didn't appear hurt, the knockdown altered the course of the fight as he went from eager to timid for the rest of the fight. Neither fighter seemed to be interested in letting his hands go, with a combined 123 punches landed out of a total of 490 punches thrown. Even in comparison to the combined total of 503 punches thrown by Haney and Jose Ramirez in the co-main event, the output was the third-lowest in CompuCom history for a 12-round fight. Following the fight, Garcia said, "He fought a good fight." "He quickly caught me. No excuses, man. We congratulate him. That concludes his excellent performance. Romero was patient and kept his distance despite Garcia's jab. It was a surprising performance by Romero, who was two fights removed from being stopped by Isaac Cruz in 2024. Romero approached the situation calmly and steadily, not rashly. Meanwhile, Garcia couldn't shake the effects of the early knockdown and spent the duration of the bout looking for a fight-ending punch. He won't be able to find it, so he'll have to start over. Right, Rolando "Roll" Romero won by unanimous decision on Friday night, but he said that Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney should still fight again. Golden Boy/Getty Images/Cries Sequa As for Romero, he might be the only person who wants to see a Garcia-Haney rematch despite emerging victorious Friday.

Romero stated, "I am not even thinking about what's next." "Devin and Ryan ought to get their rematch and make a big one," I believe. The expectation was for Garcia and Romero to deliver fireworks and make the ringside judges' scorecards unnecessary. Instead, Garcia's lackluster performance marked the end of a dull fight night against the backdrop of Times Square, where a small group of invite-only fans congregated inside a improvised boxing ring. People walked around the outside of the venue, many of them stopping to watch what was going on on the outside screens in the enclosure. Stats for CompuCom Punch Garcia Romero is punched.

37.5 percent 27.7% Turkic Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia's chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, planned to stage an iconic event, but the card will be remembered for a trio of fights that didn't come close to delivering the action promised.

Haney gave a similarly subpar performance in the main event, but he was let off the hook by an opponent who was content to simply follow him around the ring. Haney's fight with Garcia the year before, in which he was knocked down three times and lost a decision, appeared to be affecting him. After Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug otariine, the outcome was changed to a no-contest. Garcia also came in 3.2 pounds over the contracted weight of 140 pounds for that fight.

Haney (32-0, 1 NC) seemingly couldn't shake off the effects of the fight and was timid and reluctant to throw punches. Ramirez, however, was unable to capitalize. He followed Haney around the ring without a true sense of urgency. Fortunately for Haney, he was skilled enough to thwart the advances of a plodding Ramirez (29-3) in a sluggish fight that was relentlessly jeered on social media.

Haney landed 70 of the 503 punches he threw during the fight, while Ramirez only landed 40. A contract reportedly was signed prior to Friday night for a fight later this year, suggesting that arrangements for a rematch between Garcia and Haney are still in place. However, it will be interesting to see if that fight happens later this year or if Al-Sheikh decides to go in a different direction for both fighters because of how their fights went.