Oscar De La Hoya spent Thursday afternoon in a Midtown beer garden spinning grand plans while construction crews raised a one‑night ring on Broadway. Friday’s Times Square triple‑header, he said, is meant to be chapter one of an 18‑month collision course: Ryan Garcia beats Rolly Romero for the WBA “regular” welter strap, rematches Devin Haney in September, then meets WBO 140‑lb king Teófimo Lopez in early 2026 before circling back to Gervonta Davis. “That lineup gets you to the Hall of Fame,” the Golden Boy boss insisted.
First, the fighters have to perform in a setting more tourist trap than fight hub. DAZN’s stage straddles 44th Street; rain tarps stand ready; ticket demand could have filled MSG, but Saudi backer Turki Alalshikh wanted a spectacle. Weigh‑ins suggested competitive match‑ups: Garcia 146.8, Romero 146.6; Haney 143.9, José Ramírez 143.6; Lopez 139.7, Arnold Barboza Jr. 139.6. Lopez opens the show defending his WBO belt; Barboza eyes the upset that would derail any Garcia‑Lopez future.
Watch Garcia vs. Romero weigh-in highlights: Watch
Across town, De La Hoya’s old partner Eddie Hearn called the bill “a Garcia showcase,” yet even he conceded the Haney‑Ramírez co‑feature could rewrite plans if Ramírez’s power shows up at catch‑weight. Bill Haney’s presence kept the war of words inflamed - Oscar questioned why Devin hasn’t fired his father after last year’s lawsuit over the overturned Garcia bout, while Bill heckled Garcia’s physique and sparked a short shoving match.
All of it feeds DAZN’s Cinco de Mayo weekend bundle, which De La Hoya hailed the three‑day run, capped by Naoya Inoue on Sunday, as “history in the making.”
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Image Credit: DAZN