In the third headline bout of the groundbreaking Fatal Fury: City of Wolves event held at New York’s iconic Times Square, Rolando “Rolly” Romero delivered a major upset by outpointing Ryan Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) via unanimous decision. Romero took control after a dominant second round, where his power shifted the momentum. From that moment on, Rolly maintained the upper hand, ultimately earning scorecards of 115-112, 115-112, and 118-109.
The opening round saw both fighters cautiously trading jabs as they felt each other out. However, the tone changed in the second round when Romero unleashed a double left hook that floored Garcia. Though Garcia beat the count, Romero immediately pressed forward, though Garcia managed to survive the onslaught.
In rounds three and four, Romero stayed aggressive, using feints and consistently targeting Garcia’s body with jabs. Garcia had a moment in the fifth with a sharp left hook, but it failed to land flush. Aware of Garcia’s signature weapon, Romero kept his right hand high to neutralize the threat and avoid the shot. His consistent offense allowed him to steadily rack up points and widen the gap on the scorecards.
Garcia showed flashes of promise in the eighth, finding some rhythm behind the jab. Still, Romero slowed things down and managed the pace in the following rounds, landing effectively to the body and connecting with overhand rights.
Between rounds, Garcia’s coach Derrick James delivered a fiery pep talk at the end of the tenth, urging his fighter to go for broke. But Garcia failed to rally, instead choosing to posture and throw isolated punches rather than mounting a serious offensive push.
After 12 rounds, Romero’s disciplined performance earned him a clear unanimous decision. Garcia, while supremely skilled, showed limitations when his primary weapon—the left hook—was neutralized. He also continued a trend of tossing the hook without proper setup.
Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) stuck to his strategy, stayed composed under pressure, and secured a huge victory. With the win, he captured the WBA (Regular) welterweight championship.