Ryan Garcia turned up to his headline fight in Times Square, New York City, inside a Batmobile, but got clowned on by Rolly Romero, who dropped ‘The Flash’ in the second round, and boxed smart to grind out an improbable victory on Friday, the 2nd of May.
It was an extraordinary result for Romero, who suffered two knockout losses — to Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz — in his last four boxing fights, as he was considered an underdog against Garcia, who was returning to the ring for the first time since his controversial No Contest against Devin Haney last year.
Romero ripped up the form book to seal a signature win, with the judges rewarding his work with scores of 118-109 and 115-112 (twice), to put himself in the running for prospective rematches against both ‘Tank’ Davis and ‘Pitbull’ Cruz.
Related
How Chris Eubank Jr & Daniel Dubois Defied The Odds to Become British Sporting Superstars
Chris Eubank & Daniel Dubois emulated Anthony Joshua & Tyson Fury as boxing superstars.
Rolly Romero Scores Boxing Upset of The Year
Romero held on to his lead after almost beating Garcia out of the ring
Romero stole the show Friday at an open-air boxing event attended by what appeared to be only a few hundred people, as organizers blocked the event from public view with Ring Magazine-branded fencing. It was a far cry from what had been promised, with apparent expectations of hundreds of thousands of people able to attend. Even Teofimo Lopez, who fought earlier on the card, told the whole of New York to turn up when speaking to reporters at a press conference earlier this week.
Times Square could have been a character in and of itself, however, it was Romero who stole the show — and it was a performance like his that was desperately needed, after Lopez and Devin Haney’s respective wins failed to inspire fight fans who had tuned in.
Much had been made of Garcia’s vaunted left hook but Romero came prepared and kept his right glove pretty much glued to the side of his face, to provide a cushion against any incoming power punch that Garcia was able to land. Despite Garcia’s power, it was Romero who secured the punch of the night, as he put Garcia down with a left hook that made the Californian fall like a cartoon villain.
Watch footage of the knockdown right here:
From there, Romero had his chances. But none greater than that second round shot from hell. He held his lead, and boxed smart, with that right glove remaining high. Garcia could have forced the fight more in the latter rounds, appearing to bizarrely box like he thought he had the win wrapped up.
But the judges thought differently, and rewarded Romero’s work with a deserved unanimous decision.
Earlier in the show, Teofimo Lopez beat Arnold Barboza by decision, and Devin Haney coasted to a win over Jose Ramirez.
Related
Manny Pacquiao to Make Historic Boxing Comeback Despite Being Warned to ‘be Careful’
Manny Pacquiao will fight for a world title in boxing this summer despite warnings to ‘be careful.’
About Author
