Ryan Garcia experienced a defeat at the hands of Rolando “Rolly” Romero on Friday night in Times Square. This loss occurred via points in Garcia's first fight since returning from a one-year doping ban. Romero's double left hook in the second round resulted in Garcia being dropped. Although Garcia quickly recovered, he struggled to establish a rhythm, leading to a unanimous decision victory for Romero with scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 118-109.

Garcia reflected on his performance, stating, "Just found myself very off after the year layoff. That whole year, it was a lot for me mentally. Just a lot of stuff I’ve got to figure out mentally, and then I’ll get back to it and you’ll see that aggression come out. I just didn’t have that tonight.”

The bout was part of the first boxing event ever hosted in Times Square. Garcia made a notable entrance in a Batmobile, and ring girls were replaced by impersonators of figures like Michael Jackson and Hulk Hogan. The event, backed by Saudi-funded Ring Magazine, had approximately 300 invited guests in attendance, including Mike Tyson and Roberto Durán, according to the BBC. Fans also gathered outside the arena to watch the fights on large screens.

Romero maintained control throughout the welterweight bout following his second-round hook, although the fight was described as lacking quality moments. The total of 490 combined punches thrown was the third fewest in a 12-round fight since CompuBox began tracking punches in 1985.

Garcia appeared rusty in his first fight since testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine around the time of his victory over Devin Haney in April 2024. This victory was subsequently overturned to a no-contest, and Garcia received a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission. Garcia denied the allegations, stating, “I’ve never taken a steroid. … I don’t even know where to get steroids at the end of the day … I barely take supplements.”

The loss to Romero, which puts Garcia's record at 24-2 with one no-contest, may impact plans for a potential rematch with Haney. Romero's victory, marking his record at 17-2, could position him to take Garcia's place in future bouts. Haney had previously won against José Ramírez by unanimous decision on the same day.