Garcia's return came after a year-long suspension due to twice testing positive for a banned substance during fight week with Devin Haney. The suspension was officially lifted, clearing the way for the 26-year-old to face Romero.
The fight didn't go as planned for Garcia. After getting knocked down early, he looked tentative and couldn't find success against "Rolly" Romero, who scored a career-best win despite being largely counted out before the bout.
In the aftermath, Garcia showed humility in defeat and expressed openness to rematches with both Romero and Haney. The latter would have been guaranteed had Garcia won this fight.
Veteran promoter Bob Arum, at 93 years old, shared his thoughts on the matchup with Fight Hub TV. He criticized the lack of planning in Garcia's return:
"These fighters and their promoters get turned by the money and they don't make really good decisions."
Arum suggested Garcia should have taken a tune-up fight before facing Romero. He pointed to the influence of large money offers, likely referencing Turki Alalshikh's involvement:
"But that doesn't make any sense."
The loss puts Garcia's immediate future in question. He'll need to regroup and make careful decisions about his next steps in the ring.