Ryan Garcia’s knockout power poses no threat to Rolly Romero on May 2 when the pair collide at Times Square, New York.
Romero is adamant he holds the perfect solution for Garcia’s trademark left hook and plans to ‘move out of the way’ on a world-class night of boxing. Garcia returns from a one-year suspension for a drug test failure, putting his 24-1, 20 KOs on the line against Romero [16-2, 13 KOs].
Ahead of the clash in six weeks, Romero was asked how concerned he was about Ryan Garcia’s patented left hook in his next fight. He responded, “Not very concerned at all. You move out of the way.”
“I don’t really have a game plan. I didn’t have one when I whooped his a** [in a sparring session eight years ago].
On calling Garcia a model in prior interviews, Romero added, “Well, he didn’t make weight for his last world title fight, and he didn’t even try to make weight with Tank [Gervonta Davis], so he’s not chasing a belt. But we’ll see May 2.”
At the same media gathering, Garcia admitted that his focus wasn’t on Romero but on a rematch with Devin Haney. He stated, “As far as Rolly as an opponent, he was not my first choice. It was [Isaac] Pitbull Cruz, but things played out a different way. I’m really focused on whooping Devin Haney’s a** again.”
Asked to respond to Garcia looking past him, Romero replied, “He can think whatever he wants. He knows me too well.”
A former secondary WBA super lightweight titleholder, Romero battles Garcia for the WBA welterweight title despite neither being rated a month prior. The controversial move further highlights the World Boxing Association’s continued inconsistency.
Secondary titles are making a big comeback alongside interim versions. Explanations of how some contenders get ranked are non-existent, as WBA President Gilberto Mendoza seems to hold his own set of rules regarding sanctioning title fights.
Worldboxingnews.com questioned this on social media when Mendoza made the initial announcement. The prominent bone of contention was Garcia being handed a title shot immediately after a drug ban and Romero after just one recent win over a lesser-name opponent.
Then there’s the added fact that neither boxer has fought at 147 pounds to earn a crack at the belt. The final nail is that the WBA placed both strategically in the ratings when neither was ranked a month prior in a shocking and brazen move.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
