Ryan Garcia cut a composed figure at Thursday’s media workout in San Diego. The 26‑year‑old said stepping back from social‑media “mind games” and spending time with family has “got me back to reality” as he heads to New York’s Times Square for a one‑of‑a‑kind Ring Magazine show on May 2.
Garcia faces ex‑WBA super‑lightweight titlist Rolando “Rolly” Romero for the WBA’s secondary welterweight belt in a purpose‑built 19‑foot ring before fewer than 300 VIPs and however many onlookers can catch a glimpse from the street. The card, bankrolled by Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh and streamed on DAZN PPV, shares the Cinco‑de‑Mayo weekend spotlight with Canelo Álvarez’s Riyadh appearance a night later.
Trainer Derrick James reports Garcia has transferred the speed and left‑hook power that floored Haney three times into sparring sessions tailored for Romero’s wild overhand right. Strength coach Justin Fortune says the fighter is “six pounds over with two weeks to go,” crediting a near‑obsessive work rate that recalls Fortune’s days with Manny Pacquiao.
Motivation is twofold. A win lines up an autumn rematch with WBC 140‑lb champion Haney, whose father Bill has already dialed in to question Garcia’s size and residual ring rust. Garcia shrugs off the jab, insisting Romero’s tendency to load up “opens him for the crack,” and vows another statement knockout will silence doubts lingering from last year’s drug controversy.
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