Ryan Garcia will step back into the ring on May 2 in Times Square, New York, facing Rolly Romero after serving a one-year suspension. This marks Garcia's return to boxing following a positive test for clomiphene, a banned substance.
Garcia's last fight ended in controversy. He knocked down Devin Haney three times and won by majority decision. But the win got overturned to a no decision because Garcia weighed more than 3 pounds over the 140-pound limit. This made him ineligible to win Haney's title.
The young boxer has been open about his personal struggles. He said:
"I want to show everyone that you can come back from anything and I want to show my dedication to the sport and be a true professional. I admit my mistakes and I don't want anyone to think that my behavior of drinking and smoking before the fight is a way to behave as a professional."
This fight will be Garcia's biggest payday yet, with a purse of over $20 million. It's part of a major event organized by Ring Magazine, now under new ownership. The card will feature three big fights, including Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr.
Rick Reeno, Chief Operating Officer of Ring Magazine, explained the choice of venue:
"We could have held this event anywhere. We could have done it at any venue in New York, Los Angeles or Las Vegas, and it would have sold out. We wanted to do something special, something iconic, because if we had done it at any other venue, in any other location, it would have been a really big event with three incredible fights. We wanted something that, 25 years from now, people would remember and say, 'Oh my God! Can you believe they held that crazy event in the middle of Times Square?'"
The event marks the first card in the United States under the new ownership of Turki Alalshikh, Director of Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. With its unique location and stacked fight card, this event promises to be a memorable night for boxing fans.
