Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero predictions, odds, picks: Who comes out on top in Times Square triple-header?

The iconic Times Square in New York will host a sensational triple-header Friday featuring three of boxing's top young stars: Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.

It looks to be a monster stretch in the sport, beginning with the thriller we saw last Saturday across the pond between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn. Now, fans have three major shows on three consecutive days to look forward to.

Advertisement

Garcia, Haney and Lopez open up the week Friday, before Saul "Canelo" Alvarez looks to become a two-time undisputed champion against William Scull on Saturday, and then Naoya Inoue will return stateside to defend his undisputed crown Sunday.

While the young trio of stars are not facing each other Friday, Turki Alalshikh — the man behind Friday's Ring Magazine show — hopes to have Garcia and Haney share the ring for their long-awaited rematch in October.

Neither Garcia nor Haney has fought since their April 2024 bout against one another, meaning both will be ending year-long layoffs Friday.

Garcia dropped Haney three times en route to a majority decision win in that bout, however, the match was later declared a no contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine in a pre-fight drug test conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

Advertisement

Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM.

Ryan Garcia (-800) vs. Rolando "Rolly" Romero (+550)

Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) moves up to welterweight to face Rolando "Rolly" Romero for the vacant WBA (Regular) championship in Friday's main event.

Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) and Garcia share a common opponent — Gervonta "Tank" Davis. Davis named Romero, whom he stopped in the sixth round, as the hardest puncher he'd ever faced, ahead of Garcia, who extended Davis until the seventh frame.

"Rolly" was beaten up and stopped by Isaac Cruz in March 2024 down at super lightweight and rebounded with a win over Manuel Jaimes in September.

Advertisement

It is unlikely that Romero will be able to carry the power he had at lightweight up twelve pounds to welterweight against Garcia, who is naturally the much bigger man. Romero didn't show noticeable power against Jaimes down at 140 and was forced to box him in a relatively dull affair.

Garcia will have a considerable size and speed advantage against Romero, as well as the better boxing IQ.

Although Garcia has defensive flaws that Romero could exploit, which could lead to a slugfest in the early rounds, I expect Garcia to break down and stop Romero in the mid-stanzas.

Prediction: Garcia KO/TKO

Devin Haney (-1000) vs. Jose Ramirez (+650)

Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) also moves up to welterweight to take on the former unified super lightweight champion Jose Ramirez.

Advertisement

It is the third weight class for Haney, who won the undisputed crown at lightweight, the WBC championship at super lightweight, and now campaigns at welterweight.

Haney likely outgrew lightweight at least a year before he eventually moved up to 140 pounds in December 2023 against Regis Prograis. Now at welterweight, he should be much more comfortable, allowing his body to fill out and reap the rewards of his size and frame.

Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) is on the downward trajectory, and so Haney could be getting him at the perfect time. The California-native dropped a decision to Josh Taylor in 2021 for the undisputed super lightweight title in a fight where he twice tasted the canvas.

Ramirez rebounded with three wins on the trot, but in the latter of the three fights — a decision win over Rances Barthelemy — Ramirez had to overcome an early scare and looked defenseless on multiple occasions throughout the contest.

Advertisement

Arnold Barboza Jr. comfortably outboxed Ramirez this past November for a ten-round decision win. Ramirez could not cope with the jab and simple movement of Barboza, which does not bode well for a matchup with a master boxer like Haney.

Haney has brought in the legendary "Sugar" Shane Mosley into his camp. Mosley claims to have fixed Haney's power problem and expects his charge to score his first knockout in almost six years against Ramirez.

While it is expected that Haney will be too sharp and slick for Ramirez, it is doubtful that he wins inside-the-distance, although it wouldn't be the first time that a move to a more comfortable weight class allowed a boxer to have increased punching power.

Prediction: Haney via decision

Teofimo Lopez (-250) vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. (+200)

In what is the most competitive fight of the night — at least on paper — Lopez defends his WBO super lightweight crown against mandatory challenger Barboza Jr.

Advertisement

Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) upset the odds on away soil against Jack Catterall in February to edge a split decision win and set himself up for a shot at Lopez.

Barboza has picked up back-to-back wins against top ten contenders, Ramirez and Catterall, after his controversial split decision success against Sean McComb on the Haney vs. Garcia undercard in April 2024. Barboza struggled with the Irish southpaw massively in that contest and was very fortunate to have his hand raised at the end of the ten rounds.

Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) will end a 10-month layoff after seeing action twice in 2024, winning decisions over Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett.

Lopez has struggled with backfoot counter-punchers like Sandor Martín and Ortiz, so Barboza could pose issues with that style, which he is capable of doing.

Advertisement

Lopez, however, has shared the ring with a much higher quality of opposition compared to Barboza and put in his best performances on his biggest nights against Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor. It is feasible that Lopez will see the fight with Barboza and his newfound relationship with Alalshikh as an upgrade from previous fights, and will want to impress.

Lopez has won four fights in a row by decision. He does fare better against pressure fighters and prefers to fight guys that bring the action to him. Barboza probably won't be doing that for sustained periods, so we could see a relatively unentertaining affair, but one that I expect the champion to get the better of.

Prediction: Lopez via decision