Ryan Garcia and Rolando 'Rolly' Romero are set to face off in the ring on May 2 in Times Square, New York City. The fight marks the welterweight debut for both boxers, with the WBA Regular Welterweight belt on the line.
Garcia, 26, returns to action after a tumultuous year. He tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine during fight week for his bout with Devin Haney. The positive test resulted in a one-year suspension and overturned Garcia's initial victory over Haney, where he had knocked down his opponent three times en route to a decision win.
Romero's recent record has been shaky, with two losses in his last four fights. He suffered a knockout loss to Gervonta Davis and lost his WBA Super Lightweight World Title to Isaac Cruz in his first defense. Romero did pick up a controversial win over Ismael Barroso for that title and recently scored a victory in a build-back fight against Manuel Jaimes.
Former world champion Shawn Porter believes Garcia will come out on top. Porter said in a recent interview:
"I do. Obviously the common opponent, Ryan fought Tank, I think he'll be better since fighting Tank, and then the same thing with Rolly. I think Rolly became better from fighting Tank. I think they knew mistakes that they made … They'll both be better in their fight against one another. Yeah [Ryan has more talent.]"
The Garcia-Romero bout will share the card with Devin Haney's return fight against Jose Ramirez. If both Haney and Garcia emerge victorious, a rematch between the two is planned for the end of the year.
The May 2 event promises to be a significant night for boxing, with both Garcia and Romero looking to make a statement in their welterweight debuts and potentially set up bigger fights down the line.
