Rolando Romero scored the biggest win of his career by winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Ryan Garcia in a welterweight fight outdoors at the famed Times Square in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.
In round two, Romero dropped Garcia with a hard double left hook on the chin. After that, Garcia really seemed to be listless and fought very timidly. Romero did just enough in every round by just coming forward more with foot pressure that any type of sustained punching.
Romero landed 57 of 280. Garcia was 66 of 210. Garcia & Romero 490 combined landed punches 3rd fewest in CompuBox history for a 12-round fight, surpassing Haney & Ramirez at 503
That was enough as Romero, 146.6 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 118-109 and 115-112 twice to raise his mark to 17-2. Garcia, 146.8 lbs of Victorville, CA is 24-2.
“Knockdowns always help,” said Romero (17-2, 13 KOs). “Ryan is a warrior. He got up, and he finished the fight. I’m just grateful for this opportunity.”
“Rolly fought a good fight,” said Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs). “He caught me early, no excuses. Congrats to him. He did a great job, and that’s that.”
“I think the whole year took a lot off my body physically and mentally,” said Garcia. “I’m thankful for the opportunity. Hats off to Rolly… I’m gonna go back to the drawing board, talk it over, and see what we do next.”
“I’m not even thinking about what’s next,” said Romero. “I think Devin and Ryan should get their rematch and make a big one.”
Devin Haney Decisions Ramirez in Lackluster fight
In a fight where very punches of significance landed, former undisputed champion Devin Haney won a 12-round unanimous decision over former unified world champion Jose Ramirez in a welterweights.
Haney landed 70 of 224 punhes. Ramirez was 40 of 279. Haney (229) & Ramiez (274) combined to thrown 503 punches. 4th fewest in a 12 round fight in CompuBox history. Ironically, Haney (214) & Ryan Garcia (285) combined to throw 499 punches- 3rd fewest in a 12-round fight in CompuBox 40-yr. history.
Haney, 143 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 119-108 twice and 118-110 and is now 32-0. Ramirez, 143,8 lbs of Avenal, CA is 29-3.
“I felt good going into the fight, and the game plan I worked on definitely showed,” said Haney. “I handicapped him. He couldn’t do anything in there.”
“Towards the middle of the fight I started to feel real comfortable, got his timing, and I picked him apart,” said Haney.
Teofimo Lopez Decisions Lopez; Retains Super Lightweight Title
Teofimo Lopez retained the WBO Super Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over mandatory challenger Arnold Barboza Jr.
In round five, Lopez started to swell under his right eye. In round six, Lopez was cut under left eye.
Lopez landed 127 of 574 punches. Barboza was 71 of 428.
Lopez, 139.6 lbs of Brooklyn won by scores of 118-110 and 116-112 twice and is now 22-1. Barboza, 139.8 lbs of Long Beach, CA is 32-1.
“I’ve been telling myself this whole week that anything happening is happening for me and not against me,” said Lopez. “I felt great. I felt reborn.”
“We gave it our all, but this time, we came up short,” said Barboza. “Congratulations to Teofimo on a hard-fought victory. We’ll take this experience, learn from it, and come back stronger. The work continues. Maybe we can fight Ryan next, or Haney, or anyone that will give us an opportunity. For now, I’m going to enjoy some much-deserved time off with my family after eight months of training.”
“I’ve been at this weight for some time, and now I’ll talk to my team, and maybe I’ll move up in weight,” said Lopez. “You know me. I go after the tough challenges. I wanna see ‘Boots.’ I’m Dora The Explorer and I wanna see ‘Boots.’”
Tsutsumi Wins Pro Debut by Unanimous Decision
Reito Tsutsumi won his professional debut with a six-round unanimous decision over Levale Whittington in a super featherweight bout.
Tsutsumi landed 141 of 386 punches. Whittington was 65 of 331.
Tsutsumi, 128.8 lbs of Tokyo, JAP won by scores of 60-54 twice and 58-56 and is now 1-0. Whittington, 127.8 lbs of Chicago is 1-3-1.
