Rolando Romero made sure that a historic night in Times Square didn’t end without some thrilling action to match the extraordinary setting. He managed to secure a stunning victory over Ryan Garcia, causing quite an upset on Friday evening.

Ryan Garcia, who was the anticipated winner of the match and was supposed to set up a rematch with his rival Devin Haney in September, was taken by surprise when he got knocked down early in the fight. This unexpected turn of events left Garcia struggling throughout the rest of the match, eventually leading to his second career defeat through a unanimous decision.

The beginning of the fight was cautious as both fighters acclimated themselves to the unique and somewhat eerie atmosphere of the venue. The surroundings in Times Square, with distant police sirens wailing and the muffled cheers of fans unable to attend the exclusive VIP event, created a tense backdrop. However, Romero broke the mold by delivering a powerful left hook in the second round, sending the favored Garcia crashing to the mat.

Garcia, despite looking on shaky legs when he first returned to his feet, regained composure as the next few rounds went on and successfully weathered the storm as ‘Rolly’ stayed patient in an apparent bid not to wear himself out.

Both men took a breather in the third after the dramatic three minutes which preceded it, before Ryan slowly began to get into his groove in the fourth and fifth.

Yet as the bout creeped into its second half, the 26-year-old appeared to be feeling the pace while Romero, who initially failed to follow up on his early success, slowly shifted momentum back in his favor.

It was the strangest of declines from Garcia as he allowed Romero to slowly exert his dominance with little resistance. 

The famous left hook and blistering combinations which gave Haney and so many other past victims hell were simply nowhere to be seen. Even the right hand was packed away for the night. ‘King Ry’ had gone gun shy. 

Instead, he merely flicked out his jab on occasion while trying to steer out the way of the increasing series of Romero attacks coming his way.

Amidst the blinding lights of New York’s iconic digital-billboard filled landmark, in a once-in-a-lifetime event we may never witness again, Garcia appeared to have stage fright.

By the time the contest reached the championship rounds, the underdog was well and truly in the ascendancy. Garcia, either too sheepish, devoid of ideas or merely gassed after more than a year out, had no answer. In the city that famously never gets any shut-eye, he almost sleepwalked to defeat.

Romero essentially clinched this victory, a victory which thrusts him into world-title contention at welterweight out of nowhere, when he upped the ante in the ninth, 10th and 11th to overwhelm his impotent adversary. He may not have landed a great deal clean, but at least someone was trying to force the action.

Even in the 12th and final round Garcia was in no rush to find a hail-mary knockout at the death that could have spared his blushes. 

So by the time the final bell sounded, there could only be one winner.

Romero’s hand was rightfully raised at the end of a fairly drab affair barring his second-round knockdown. While the action was limited, he was a clear victor on a night where Garcia seemed a shadow of his former self. 

The latter will be left to lick his wounds on an evening which saw his arch-rival Haney cruise to a points victory against Jose Ramirez, albeit in another unexciting encounter, while Teofimo Lopez, another potential future opponent who held up his end of the bargain against Arnold Barboza Jr, also had his hand raised at the end of 12 rounds after an impressive display.

While Garcia slumped to a truly humbling defeat on one of the biggest nights of his career, the often-ridiculed Romero, who has become somewhat of a cult hero in recent years due to his hilarious trash talking and wild, unorthodox fighting style, came of age in a performance which will shock the boxing world into taking him much more seriously going forward.

Perhaps it is he who should be rewarded handsomely with a payday against Haney in Saudi Arabia later this year.

All the talk heading into this unprecedented card in the thick of Times Square centered around Garcia and what he had on the agenda. Haney in September, then maybe Conor Benn in early 2026?

Romero had other ideas. 

Yet on a night for the ages as far as sporting venues are concerned, Rolly flipped the script to secure a triumph he will never forget.