Rolly Romero Spoils Ryan Garcia’s Day by Adding Insult to Injury With Cheeky “Knockout” Dig

Things have gone from bad to worse for Ryan Garcia! The Victorville native is coming off a shock loss to Rolly Romero on Friday night in Times Square. This loss has raised concerns over his potential fight against Devin Haney. But to make things worse, the former WBA super lightweight champion is taking digs at the 26-year-old.

Heading into the fight, Ryan Garcia was widely expected to cruise past Rolly Romero, entering as a massive -1100 favorite on DraftKings, while Romero stood as a +800 underdog. Surprisingly, this confidence persisted despite a resurfaced clip from a past sparring session, where Romero appeared to get the better of Garcia.

This was largely because of Garcia’s stunning performance against Devin Haney last April, where Garcia was the underdog and Haney was the favorite. Garcia had defied those odds to put Haney on the canvas thrice before securing a majority decision win. However, the win was later overturned due to Ostarine being found in Garcia’s system. 

Regardless, having overcome those odds and proving his critics wrong, Romero is targeting Garcia by taking jabs at the Victorville native. “I’m actually happy I didn’t knockout Ryan,” Romero told Fight Hype about the second-round knockdown during their fight. “Just to show that I could shut him out because nobody could say it was just a lucky shot.”

Romero considers that even better than putting Garcia to sleep completely. “It was a systematic breakdown over a course of 12 rounds where he couldn’t even get started,” Romero added. “The one moment he did try to get started, he got dropped with his own medicine, with his left hook.” Romero argued that people often praise Garcia for his left hook, but claimed his knockdown proved that “I clearly showed that I had the superior left hook.”

He also added that the only reason Garcia didn’t get knocked out during the fight was because Garcia “didn’t try to win” after the knockdown. “If he [had] tried to win, he would have gotten knocked out cold,” Romero concluded. It’s worth noting that Garcia was visibly emotional after the loss to Romero, seen weeping in the aftermath—a clear reflection of the deep disappointment he felt in response to the unexpected defeat.

Nothing clicked for Ryan Garcia during the Rolly Romero fight

Nothing clicked for Ryan Garcia during his fight against Rolly Romero in Times Square. From training camp to the final bell, Garcia struggled to find rhythm or sharpness. “Nothing was like progressing in any way, and I just felt weird and off,” Garcia admitted during the post-fight presser. Despite fighting at 147 pounds for the first time in his career and having a less grueling weight cut, he couldn’t shake the sluggishness that lingered throughout his San Diego camp. 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 21: Ryan Garcia poses on the scale against Gervonta Davis during their weigh-in at Toshiba Plaza on April 21, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Davis and Garcia will fight at a 136-pound catchweight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 22. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

“It’s just one of those things where I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what’s going on… nothing was clicking.’” That lack of form showed in the ring, where he was knocked down just 14 seconds into the second round and looked hesitant for the rest of the bout. “Just didn’t feel like my feet were under me,” he said. Though disappointed, Garcia called it a mental victory: “My mind is as clear as it is, is a victory for me.”

That said, it’s unclear whether Ryan Garcia would have a rematch with Devin Haney or Rolly Romero next. However, if Romero’s latest dig at Garcia picks up, the 26-year-old may end up vying for a rematch with Romero. What are your thoughts about Romero’s claims? 

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