By: Sean Crose
“I have notified my team that I am going a different route,” Ryan Garcia posted on Twitter on Saturday. “My intention now is to fight Rolando Romero. I pray that my team supports me in this decision. Oscar made this fight possible. THAT’S THE MOVEMENT. A BIGGER FIGHT, A BIGGER BUSINESS.” This social media post was a bit surprising, as Garcia had recently indicated that he would NOT face Romero, opting to face junior welterweight champion and pound-for-pound ranked fighter, Devin Haney.
“After what happens to Rollies, the fight with the developer (Devin Haney) will be there and it will be even bigger,” García added. “Everyone criticizing now. I’ll end up seeing that it was a better move. Plus, he can go fight Richardson Hitchens. Make your 30k PPV buys. “I don’t need you, developer, you need me.” Needless to say, Haney was not impressed. “Never mention my name, cunt boi…” he responded on Twitter. “You’ll be back,” Garcia replied quite smugly.
The fact is that Garcia may be a top-notch fighter whose popularity exceeds his abilities. That’s why it could be easy for Garcia to give up a big champion like Haney to face Romero, who is arguably an easier fight, and then fight Haney whenever he feels like it. That being said, Garcia will have to challenge himself regularly or face some serious competition if he wants to retain his fan base and the earning potential from it.
Romero, however, is no walk in the park. Hard-hitting and exciting, the man arguably performed better against Gervonta Davis than Garcia did when he faced the fighter called “Tank” in a superfight last spring. Still, it’s likely that if the fight goes ahead, Garcia will be the favorite against WBA junior welterweight champion Romero. However, whatever criticism Garcia may receive, he certainly won’t go soft if he and Romero agree to face each other in the ring next.
