Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero was given the May 2nd fight against Ryan Garcia after Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz chose not to take it due to his previously scheduled fight next month. This is Rolly’s chance to pull off an upset of the ring-rusty Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on Turki Al-Sheikh’s card at Times Square in New York City.
Rolly Steps In
Cruz has a fight scheduled against Angel Fierro on February 1st and didn’t want to negotiate another fight until after his match. Fans were hoping to see Ryan and Pitbull fight, as it would have been a lot more interesting than watching Rolly be given the match-up.
It’s unclear if there were other fighters available that could have stepped in. The 140-lb division has a lot of fighters with more talent than Rolly, and it would have been great for fans to see someone else.
The former WBA light welterweight champion Rolly (16-2, 13 KOs) was knocked out in the eighth round by Pitbull Cruz last year in the eighth round on March 30th. That was a surprisingly one-sided fight.
Rolly obviously is a bargain-basement level fighter with limited ability, who doesn’t belong fighting in the main event of Turki Al-Sheikh’s card on May 2nd against the superstar Ryan Garcia. It appears they were in a hurry to find a body to be the opponent, and Romero served the purpose.
Given that this is going to be a PPV event, it would been better to use Jose Ramirez as Ryan Garcia’s opponent in the headliner and give Rolly to Haney for the co-feature. Even in that spot, Romero doesn’t belong, but Haney is coming off a three-knockdown loss. He needs a soft touch like Rolly to make sure he doesn’t wind up in the dirt.
On the May 2nd card, Devin Haney will face Jose Ramirez, and heavyweight Martin Bakole fights Efe Ajagba.
Also, per source involved — this card with Garcia-Rolly & Haney-Ramirez is planned for May 2 (a Friday night). #boxing https://t.co/dPZGmJgiv0
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) January 21, 2025