Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero Predictions: Watch the throne as ‘KingRy’ returns

Ryan Garcia restarts his controversial career this Friday, May 2 against former world champion Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. The fight headlines a mammoth card in Times Square, New York. DAZN PPV will screen the event live, with Garcia rival Devin Haney and world super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez also in action.

Here are my Garcia vs Romero predictions ahead of this monster showdown.

Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero Odds

Garcia is a meaty 1/11 to get the comeback victory here. Romero is 13/2 while a draw is available at 25/1

Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero Fight Preview

‘KingRy’ just can’t get it right. Mental health struggles have stalled his career since a breakthrough whipping of Olympic champion-turned-Reform candidate Luke Campbell. The comeback looked on when Garcia defeated the rank-and-file pairing of Emmanuel Tagoe and Javier Fortuna in 2022.

But Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis had other plans, blasting Garcia to bits in seven exciting rounds. But what that painful defeat did do was prove Garcia’s worth as a pay-per-view draw. The fight racked up a whopping 1.2 million buys, a mammoth number for a non-heavyweight bout. 

Garcia’s profile skyrocketed. The first truly modern boxing superstar, ‘KingRy’ had built his profile through social media before that concoction implied the faux-fighters of Jake Paul’s ilk. The decent if unspectacular Oscar Duarte fell in eight rounds, allowing Garcia to dream again.

Fighting Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight title was supposed to be the defining moment of Garcia’s career. Instead, it is a tangled knot of success and failure that has both burnished and tarnished his reputation, depending on who you speak to.

Garcia knocked Haney down three times on the way to victory, though the belt was out of his reach due to missing weight by over three pounds. But the asterisks would not stop there. Once the dust had settled on a career-best majority decision win over ‘The Dream’, Garcia failed drugs tests, with performance-enhancer Ostarine found in his system on both the day-before and day-of samples. 

The Haney win, a glistening jewel in Garcia’s crown, was reduced to a No Contest. He was banned. That has now been lifted by the New York State Athletic Commission. Garcia is a free man in boxing terms, but for many the stink persists.

There is also a surprising number of fans who almost dismiss the findings, such is the esteem in which they hold the Haney none-win. The fact Garcia was doping when he routed one of the world’s pound-for-pound best means little to them. That uncertainty seems to be a possible avenue which this card is nudging the protagonists down.

With Haney on the undercard and their fight last April still a defining factor in both men’s confused narratives, a rematch feels natural. It would be complicated, given the nature of the last fight. Strict protocols around weight and doping would have to be implemented. But there are workarounds. Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn got there, so can Garcia and Haney.

I have come this far having not addressed Garcia’s opponent in depth. This is what happens when covering the enigmatic, chaotic ‘KingRy’. Romero warrants discussion though. ‘Rolly’ is more than a warm body that has been sought to steer Garcia back to the big time.

Romero is a divisive figure. Rarely in a bad fight, he is up for fighting anyone and everyone. Fighters like that are often defined by their losses, but Romero only has two. Isaac Cruz and Davis both stopped him in a hellacious run of fights that also took in wins over Anthony Yigit and Ismael Barroso for versions of the world crown.

The latter victory was viewed as incredibly fortunate by unbiased eyes. The fight was stopped with both men exchanging in the corner. Barroso was landing some of his best shots while Romero fired back. But ‘Rolly’ was awarded the highly-questionable victory.

The fact is, Romero did not choose to stop the fight. He is not in control of the officiating. But the win still hurt him, even if it put a world title around his waist. Losing that belt to Cruz in his next fight didn’t help. A unanimous decision win over Manuel Jaimes put ‘Rolly’ back in the win column, but he faces an almighty task to stay there.

In many ways this is a fight of necessity. Garcia needed a decent fight to come back for, but one that won’t expose the 12 months he has spent on the shelf. Romero needs to get back amongst the big names. It is win-win. But only one of them can.

Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero Full Card

Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando "Rolly" Romero

Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez

Teofimo Lopez Jr. vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.

Levale Whittington vs. Reito Tsutsumi

Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero Predictions

I like Garcia in this. Romero comes to fight, which plays into the hands of ‘KingRy’. This one could get very tasty. Garcia is a capable all-rounder but he does love a tear-up. Romero, who has swapped haymakers with some of the best at his weight, will be only too happy to oblige.

I think war is what we’re going to get, at least for a while. But I fancy Garcia to thrive on this particular battlefield. I’m going for Ryan in rounds 7-9 at 11/4, taking home a statement win over a strong foe.

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