Ryan Garcia returns from his year‑long PED suspension on May 2, stepping into a purpose‑built ring in New York’s Times Square to meet Rolando “Rolly” Romero for the WBA welterweight title advertised on the card. The Ring‑magazine event treats the matchup as a full championship, and Garcia’s star power has turned it into a Cinco‑de‑Mayo‑weekend centerpiece alongside Canelo Álvarez’s Riyadh show the following night.
That glitter masks recent turmoil. Garcia’s majority‑decision upset of Devin Haney was erased after both his A‑ and B‑samples showed ostarine, costing him the result, his purse and twelve months of ring time under New York’s commission. At 26, he still owns some of boxing’s quickest hands and perhaps the sport’s deadliest check left hook, but discipline and defence remain open questions and every future contract will be written in the shadow of stricter drug testing.
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Even if he beats Romero, Garcia’s new strap would be the WBA’s “regular” version; the organisation’s true No. 1 at 147 lb is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who unified the WBA and IBF belts by mauling Eimantas Stanionis on 13 April. Garcia has the marketing muscle to skip the queue, but Ennis represents a far steeper climb than Romero or most of the division’s other names. If Ennis jumps to 154 lb in search of bigger pay‑days, Garcia could find himself elevated or fighting for a vacant “super” belt without throwing a punch.
A drop back to 140 is another path. The WBO title rests with Teófimo Lopez, while Alberto Puello (WBC) and Richardson Hitchins (IBF) hold belts that lack Ennis‑level menace and would generate lucrative U.S. TV slots. Garcia’s offensive gifts give him a puncher’s chance against any of them, provided he can make the weight and stay focused between fights.
So will he become a world champion?
Almost certainly - boxing economics tend to grant star attractions the opportunities they need, and Garcia’s talent is enough to close the deal when the matchmaking is favourable. Whether the belt he lifts is a secondary trinket or the division’s undisputed crown depends on two variables he can’t control: Ennis’s career moves and the WBA’s never‑ending belt housekeeping. What he can control begins on May 2, under the neon glare of Times Square.
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