Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero: Tale of the Tape

Ryan Garcia returns to the ring on Friday, May 2 against Rolly Romero after a one-year absence in the headline bout on an incredible card.

Garcia vs. Romero is the main event on the Ring Magazine’s US ‘Fatal Fury’ card in New York’s iconic Times Square as both men make their debuts at welterweight.

Garcia’s rival Devin Haney is also on the card as he comes up against Jose Ramirez, and Teofimo Lopez defends his WBO super lightweight title against Arnold Barboza Jr.

It has slipped under the radar a little that Garcia and Romero will be fighting for the WBA’s ‘regular’ welterweight title, meaning the winner could potentially be in line to face the full title holder further down the line.

However, the expectation is that Garcia and Haney will be in line for a rematch later this year if both emerge victorious at Times Square.

Garcia comes into this match-up as a clear favorite, but Romero is a former world champion at super lightweight and he will be desperate to make the most of this huge opportunity.

Who will prevail? Let’s look at the 'Tale of the Tape'...

	Ryan Garcia	Rolly Romero
Odds	-1000	+600
Age:	26	29
Nickname:	King Ry	Rolly
Height:	5′ 8 1/2	5′ 8
Reach:	70”	68″
Weight:	Welterweight	Welterweight
Trainer:	Derrick James	Ismael Salas
Record:	24-1 (20 KOs)	16-2 (13 KOs)
Last Fight:	NC vs Devin Haney (April 20, 2024)	Win by UD v Manuel Jaimes (September 14, 2024)

Read Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero: Picks, Predictions, and Odds on site.

Ryan Garcia profile

24-1, 1 No Contest (20 KOs)

Garcia started boxing at an early age and had some success as an amateur, becoming a 15-time national amateur champion before moving into the paid ranks at the age of 17 in 2016.

After putting together an 18-0 record and linking up with renowned trainer Eddy Reynoso, who also trained Canelo Alvarez and Oscar Valdez, ‘King Ry’ began a serious rise up the ranks with a tough clash with the 21-1 Romero Duno.

The bout served as a co-main event ahead of Canelo’s light heavyweight title bout against Sergey Kovalev, and Garcia secured a statement win by stopping Duno in the first round to land the WBC Silver lightweight title.

The Californian backed that win up with another first-round success as he stopped Francisco Fonseca with a devastating left hook.

He then became the interim WBC champion by stopping Britain’s Luke Campbell in 2021 in what proved to be the 2012 Olympic gold medallist's final fight.

Garcia had compiled a 23-0 record before he suffered his first defeat against Gervonta Davis. The fight took place at a catchweight of 136 lbs, and Garcia was knocked down in the second before being stopped by a brutal bodyshot in the seventh.

King Ry came in for criticism after the fight, with some members of the boxing community suggesting that he had quit.

Garcia responded to his loss to Davis by stopping Oscar Duarte Jurado in the eighth round in December of 2023 before lining up a contest with Haney for the WBC super lightweight title.

Garcia produced an upset win by claiming a majority decision success, although he wasn’t fighting for the title after missing weight.

Garcia sent Haney to the canvas three times in the bout in what should have been a career-defining performance, but the bout was later ruled a no contest.

He is now making a move up to welterweight and, if he is able to claim a win over Romero, a rematch with Haney at 147 lbs should be his next assignment.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Left Hook	Focus
Power	Defense
Speed	Easy to hit
Reflexes	Can leave himself open

Rolly Romero profile

16-2 (13 KOs)

Rolly Romero made his debut in 2016 with a first round TKO win over David Courtney. He went on to win his first four fights by stoppages before going the full six rounds with Javier Martinez in a points win in 2018.

After putting together an 11-0 record, Romero began a serious rise up the rankings with a points win over the 19-0 Jackson Marinez to capture the vacant WBA interim lightweight title.

Like Garcia, Romero’s first defeat came at the hands of Davis when he was stopped in the sixth round in 2022.

He impressed on his return to action, however, stopping Ismael Barroso to claim the vacant WBA super lightweight belt.

Romero fell short in his first defense as he was stopped in the eighth round by Isaac Cruz and he was last seen claiming a points win over Manuel Jaimes in September 2024.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Jab	Lack of elite experience
Power	Has been stopped twice
Counter-puncher	Defense
	Lack of strategy/ability to adapt

Read Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero: Fight date, ring walk time, how to watch, undercard on site.

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.