Ryan Garcia Versus Rolly Romero is High Stakes for Both
Until today, many in the boxing world thought that super lightweight fighter “King Ry” Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) would next face Isaac Cruz. Instead Chairman Turki Alalshikh announced that Garcia will tangle with the polarizing Rolando “Rolly” Romero (16-2, 13 KO’s) in his next outing. In many ways, Romero, who is ranked #8 (WBA) and #15 (WBC), is an upgrade in opponent.
When brainstorming Garcia and Cruz playing out potentially at welterweight, it’s hard not seeing height and weight not being a grand obstacle. This is no longer the case when Cruz is swapped with Rolly. Not to mention, Romero will bring significantly more pop to the ring in his gloves. Also, Romero will do leaps and bounds better when it comes to selling the fight to the public.
Honestly speaking, the last two years have not been kind to Romero as he is 2-2 in his last four battles. To his credit, he is coming off a unanimous decision win over Manuel Jaimes this past September 14, 2024. Prior to that, Romero split knockout losses to Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz with a knockout win over Ismael Barroso. Although, it is widely believed that Romero was unjustly gifted his win over Barroso.
WORSE FOR WEAR?
Heading into this showdown the biggest question will be: how will Ryan Garcia handle himself? And this inquiry has several nuances. To begin, in his last prizefight versus Devin Haney, King Ry carried on like an escaped mental patient for much of the pre-fight hype. It was rationalized that this was done to throw Haney off. The trouble is Garcia has yet to drop the act. So, will he continue to be the openly drinking, smoking, foul-mouth maverick that he was with Haney? Or, will we get a more reserved King Ry?
Another huge item is the notion of testing. This will also be the first time since Haney that Garcia will be drug tested. Or, will he be tested? If so, will he use VADA which he claims is tainted due to some alleged loyalty and willingness to cheat for the Haneys? Provided that Garcia is tested, and remains unflagged, how will King Ry look on the night of the fight? It will be interesting to see if Garcia loses a step or performs with any less vigor or confidence.
BACK TO BRICKS
Regardless of how either man handles himself on the night, without question, this is a must-win situation for both. As mentioned, Romero’s reputation is already on the ropes and can’t sustain another direct hit at the moment. On the flipside, Garcia cannot afford to lose to Romero who has always been viewed as the weak link of his division. For all these reasons and more, Garcia versus Romero is a notable duel.
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