The boxing event in Times Square, which was anticipated to be a memorable night, ultimately fell short, leaving fans disappointed due to a lack of engaging action in the ring.
The pre-fight plan was for Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney to emerge victorious from their respective contests, setting the stage for a highly anticipated rematch later in the year. Devin Haney did fulfill his part, albeit with a less-than-exciting decision win. However, Rolando `Rolly` Romero disrupted these intentions significantly by achieving a major upset, defeating Ryan Garcia by unanimous decision during an otherwise underwhelming evening of fights held in the unique setting of Times Square.
Expectations were high for Garcia and Romero to deliver an explosive battle that wouldn`t require the judges` intervention. Contrary to these hopes, Garcia (24-2, 1 NC) was knocked down in the second round and delivered a listless performance for the remainder of the fight. Romero (17-2) capitalized on this, cruising to a wide unanimous decision victory with scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 118-109, marking a significant upset.
This bout followed an equally subpar performance from Devin Haney, who faced an opponent seemingly content with merely pursuing him around the ring. Despite appearing tentative, particularly in his first fight since suffering three knockdowns against Garcia the previous year, Haney (32-0, 1 NC) possessed sufficient skill to neutralize the uninspired attacks of Jose Ramirez (29-3) in a painfully slow fight where a mere 503 punches were thrown in total.
Although reports suggested a contract for a Garcia-Haney rematch had been signed prior to Friday night, the way their individual fights unfolded raises questions about whether this potential rematch will actually come to fruition in 2025.