A look at the three fights headlining the May 2 boxing card in Times Square
While details about how Times Square will be transformed into an outdoor boxing venue remain unclear, there is no doubt about the quality of the event. The May 2 three-fight card was officially announced at a news conference at The Palladium in New York on Tuesday. Some of the biggest names in boxing will be on one jam-packed card, fighting to set up even bigger fights later this year.
From Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando “Rolly” Romero, to Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez and Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr., we break down the fights and rank them in order of importance.
3. Ryan Garcia (-900) vs. Rolando “Rolly” Romero (+550), junior welterweights
Garcia (24-1, 1 NC, 20 KOs) makes his ring return after a year-long ban and there will be expectation on him to deliver following his last display, despite the controversy around it.
Garcia has not fought since he dropped Haney three times in a decision win that was later ruled a No Contest after he tested positive for a banned substance.
With Haney also on this unique card, the winner of this bout (especially if it is star attraction Garcia) will progress to face the victor of Haney vs. Ramirez. A rematch between Haney and Garcia in Saudi Arabia in October would generate plenty of interest.
Las Vegas resident Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) has an impressive 81% knockout ratio, but does he have the power to trouble Garcia as he steps up a third weight class? Romero, 29, lost two of his last four fights to Isaac Cruz and Gervonta Davis by stoppage. Garcia, 26, from Los Angeles, who also succumbed to Davis two years ago, throws punches with power and speed. This fight could steal the show.
2. Devin Haney (-1200) vs. Jose Ramirez (+650), welterweights
Haney, like Lopez, needs the spotlight after more than a year away from the ring. Haney has not fought since he suffered a major setback last April when he was dropped three times by Garcia in a majority decision defeat. That Garcia failed to make the weight, and then failed a drug test for a banned substance to render the fight a No Contest, does not totally let Haney off the hook. He couldn’t avoid Garcia’s left hook and the loss was damaging. Haney needs to make up ground or see his earning potential diminish.
This fight gives Haney, 26, of Las Vegas, the chance to regain some momentum, and his slick skills should be too much for the 32-year-old Ramirez. Both will be making their welterweight debut and if Haney (31-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs) can rediscover the form he was in during 2023, when he beat Lomachenko and Regis Prograis, he will once again be eating at the big table.
After defeats to Barboza and Josh Taylor, Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs), a former unified junior welterweight champion from Avenal, California, will be fighting to save his career and that makes him dangerous.
1. Teofimo Lopez Jr. (-275) vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. (+210) for Lopez’s WBO junior welterweight title
This is a perfect launchpad for Lopez to establish himself as boxing’s biggest star over the next year. The sport is ready for a new charismatic fighter to grab some mainstream appeal outside of the hardcore fanbase, to replace the likes of Canelo Alvarez (34 years old), Terence Crawford (37), Oleksandr Usyk (38), and the already retired Tyson Fury (36).
Garcia vs. Romero is officially the main event, but Lopez is the highest-ranked fighter on the card — ESPN’s No. 1 at junior welterweight. Garcia, with his massive social media following, is more widely known, but Lopez, 27, from Brooklyn, New York, has a pathway to grow his profile with the prospect of a title unification fight against Richardson Hitchins for later 2025 — should he beat Barboza.
But Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) must do better than his last outing in June when he convincingly outpointed Steve Claggett yet failed to shine, and his win over Jamaine Ortiz just over a year ago was met with boos for a lack of action.
However, Lopez, a two-division world champion, showed he can rise to an occasion when he beat then-pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020, and Barboza’s threat level could bring Lopez’s best on perhaps the biggest stage of his career.
Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs), from Los Angeles, deserves this shot for his breakout win over Jack Catterall in the Englishman’s backyard of Manchester last month. Barboza, 33, won a split decision and the late-bloomer will enter his first world title contest in the best form of his career after also beating former champion Jose Ramirez in November. Can he pull off an even bigger upset?
Source: espn.com