Ryan Garcia Was Devastated After Rolly Romero Loss as Heartbreaking Footage Emerges

Ryan Garcia was seen crying in the back of a vehicle on Friday night after his shock defeat to Rolly Romero. The 26-year-old boxer faced a difficult night in the ring against compatriot Romero, who scored the 14th knockout victory of his professional boxing career in Times Square to claim the WBA welterweight title.

Garcia, the slightly bigger of the two, suffered just his second defeat of his career after some devastating blows early on in the fight. Just 10 seconds into the second round, heavy blows were exchanged as Romero was caught by a left hook. He responded brilliantly, however, by striking his opponent with two big left-handed hooks, the second of which connecting with the chin, putting Garcia off his feet and straight down onto the canvas.

Garcia rose back to his feet straight away to see out the early scare, but Romero continued looking the stronger of the two well into the fight, taking control in the middle portion in particular.

At the end of the bout, two judges scored it 115-112 in favour of Rolly Romero, with the other judge seemingly seeing a very different fight and scoring the bout 118-109, also in favour of Romero.

It was certainly an off night for Garcia, who never responded to the early blows dealt to him. Romero successfully managed the fight in the final rounds, knowing the advantage he had on the scorecard. The end result was Garcia losing his opportunity to be the WBA regular champion in the welterweight division.

Ryan Garcia’s Emotions After Rolly Romero Fight

He was spotted crying in the back of a vehicle

After the evening seemed to have ended, and he thought he was out of the public eye, he began to shed a tear or two in the van he was being transported away from the venue in. Unfortunately for Garcia, someone clearly caught the footage on camera after seeing the situation, and it was posted to social media.

Ryan Garcia & Rolly Romero’s professional boxing records (as of 03/05/25)
	Ryan Garcia	Rolly Romero
Fights	27	19
Wins	24	17
Losses	2	2
No Contests	1	0

As always, the reaction to the footage has been divisive. Some feel empathy towards a fighter who came out the wrong side of a very entertaining fight, while plenty took the opportunity to laugh at Garcia’s expense.

Ryan Garcia Releases Statement After Defeat

He has since posted on X after the loss

After the evening’s entertainment, Garcia also took to social media to discuss the fight. Regarding his evening in the ring, he said: “First, I want to thank God for everything in every situation. I couldn’t do it tonight. I’m devastated and really sad that I fought the way I did. I just didn’t have it tonight felt off.”

It was an uncharacteristic evening for the fighter, which can happen. Garcia is still at an early point in his career, and there will be plenty more high points to come for the American fighter.