Skip to content 
American star Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20KO) returns to the ring this Friday to face Rolando Romero (16-2, 13KO), as The Ring Magazine hosts its first U.S. show, a spectacular event set in the heart of Times Square, New York.
‘King Ry’ last fought against rival Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO), dropping the former undisputed lightweight champion three times en route to a majority decision victory, a result later overturned to a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test.
The 26-year-old tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine in two separate tests conducted before and after the fight, but maintained his innocence, insisting he had not taken the substance intentionally. Garcia was handed a one-year suspension, fined $10,000, and ordered to forfeit his $1.1 million fight purse.
The California native returns to action in a headline bout against the heavy-hitting Romero, aiming to secure a rematch with Haney and settle their rivalry once and for all.
Ryan Garcia Shares Gameplan To Beat Devin Haney
Ryan Garcia floored Devin Haney three times during their 2024 clash, each knockdown delivered by what many consider one of the most dangerous weapons in boxing — Garcia’s signature winding left hook.
“The gameplan coming in on this fight was basically not letting Devin Haney catch a rhythm,” said Garcia to The Ring Magazine. “We knew which side he leans to most of the time and our whole strategy was catching him unexpectedly.”
“Haney is a rhythm fighter, he likes to fight off a rhythm so never giving him a moment he could catch that. Sometimes I was throwing fast sometimes I was throwing slow and it worked beautiful, Devin couldn’t consistently land his shots and that ultimately helped me win the fight.”
Garcia stunned Haney with a counter left hook within the first thirty seconds of the fight — a pattern that persisted throughout the bout and one Haney struggled to neutralize over all twelve rounds.
Speaking on the shot Garcia said, “I noticed that he was leaning in with his jab a little too much out of range, when you do that you expose yourself and its all about just trying to time that when he’s doing it. I caught him and I was going for the knockout.”
“I think right there set the tone for the fight, it pretty much put Devin Haney into a defensive mindset where he has to be worried. The whole gameplan was probably for them to dodge that hook and for them to get hit right away shows theres a lot more tricks to it.”
