Few rivalries in boxing have been as turbulent as that of Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Ryan Garcia. The two have sparred, trash-talked, and lobbed accusations at each other ever since their early days training under Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya, respectively. Yet, when an opportunity arose to replace Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in Garcia’s May 2 Times Square headliner, Romero secured the deal with a simple phone call.
“Let me ask you this: What fight is better for Ryan at this point?” Romero said, recalling the moment he stepped in. “There was no other option.”
The drama between them initially flared in the gym. Back in 2018, an up-and-coming Romero - then fighting on club cards at Sam’s Town - shared heated sparring sessions with a fast-rising Garcia, who was making noise on bigger undercards in California and New York. Neither man backed down. Still, that animosity cooled when Romero discovered Garcia was battling depression. Despite the years of back-and-forth, Romero said, “Some things are bigger than boxing,” and offered support.
Romero’s own journey has been anything but smooth. Growing up in some of Las Vegas’ roughest neighborhoods, he picked up boxing late, at age 17. He suffered a brutal loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis in 2022, only to rebound and claim a world title by stopping Ismael Barroso for the WBA belt at 140 lbs. He then stumbled again - losing to Cruz a year ago. Now, Romero says he’s healthier, having moved to a more natural weight class at 147 and training under respected Cuban coach Ismael Salas.
As for the looming Garcia clash, Romero says familiarity breeds confidence. “I’m not worried about him at all. I know him too well,” he insisted. While there’s speculation Garcia might be looking past Romero toward a Devin Haney rematch, Romero’s focus is locked on victory. “They can still fight. I’m not in the way. I don’t give a [care] what happens after I fight Ryan.”
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Image Credit: DAZN