Romero Accuses Garcia Of Ducking A Rematch
Rolando Romero blasted his rival Ryan Garcia, stating the latter ducked a rematch.
According to Romero, the two sides had fully agreed on the terms to settle their score following Romero’s unanimous decision victory over Garcia in May 2025. Romero claims the rematch clause was ironclad, with purses, splits, and the venue already settled. Instead of the Romero sequel, Garcia opted for a February 21, 2026, clash with Mario Barrios. Garcia silenced many critics by dropping Barrios in the first round and securing the WBC Welterweight title, a move Romero labels as “cherry-picking.”
With the Garcia rematch off the table, Romero confirmed that his team explored a legacy-defining bout with a boxing icon. Discussions were held regarding a January 2026 title defense against Manny Pacquiao. The 47-year-old Filipino legend was eager to become the oldest welterweight champion in history by challenging for Romero’s WBA belt. Pacquiao has since pivoted to a massive Netflix-broadcasted rematch with Floyd Mayweather at The Sphere on September 19, 2026.
“Me and Ryan had a rematch. We had the whole deal set up, and he just decided not to take it. The original deal was he was supposed to rematch Devin and then rematch me. I’m happy I didn’t fight in that time because I wasn’t right. I needed time to focus on myself,” Romero said
Who Is Next?
Devin Haney has now stated that a fight with Romero is more likely.
“I can’t say that it’s a done deal yet, we’re working on it. I think that it’s very likely it will happen. I think that it’s a good fight for boxing, a chance for me to pick up another belt and beat the guy who beat Ryan [Garcia], move up higher on the pound-for-pound list and show just how great I really am.
“He has a very awkward style and that’s what makes it hard for guys to beat him. That’s what we’ve seen when Ryan had a lot of trouble with him, just because he didn’t know how to adjust to his awkwardness.“But this is a fight where I go in there and I have fun, and I show how good I really am. I think that with a guy like Rolly, I am able to showcase a lot more of my arsenal, I’m able to bring out a lot more tools and really open up on him,” Romero said
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