It’s often said: failure rarely happens in isolation. It’s a chain reaction. A domino effect, set in motion long before most recognize the signs. That sentiment now rings especially true for Ryan Garcia. Fans have been circulating an old video featuring Floyd Mayweather confidently betting $200,000 on his protégé Rolando Romero to beat Garcia. The clip predates Garcia’s high-profile clash with another of Mayweather’s proteges, former, that is, Gervonta Davis.

And now, years later, what Mayweather foresaw makes his words seem more prophetic than ever. At Times Square in New York, Rolando Romero and Ryan Garcia faced off professionally for the first time. Romero, the underdog, shocked many by defeating Garcia via unanimous decision. It marked Garcia’s second career loss, coming on the heels of last year’s controversial bout with Devin Haney. With a potential rematch against Haney long discussed, many expected Garcia to breeze past Romero. But that wasn’t the case.

I saw that coming Ryan Garcia!

In the resurfaced clip, Mayweather declares, “Ryan Garcia says he wants to fight Tank. Well, I’m putting the money up right now. If Ryan Garcia can beat Rolly, I give him $200,000 cash.” He continues, “He’s going to fight one of my other fighters who have, uh, less fights than he has. He’s going to fight. He’s going to fight Rolly. Accept the bout with Rolly. I give him $200,000 in cash if he beats Rolly. Now, once he loses to Rolly, I don’t want him to ever say Tank’s name again,” Mayweather added further.

That footage dates back five or six years, from the early days when the buzz around a mega-fight between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis was just beginning to build. On YouTube, the video shows an upload date of February 17, 2019, just a week after Tank Davis secured his 21st career victory against Hugo Ruiz.

In that clip, Mayweather and his team connect with Davis via video call for a quick catch-up. When the TMZ reporter asks Tank directly, “Ryan Garcia wants to fight you; what do you think?” both Davis and his then-mentor, Floyd Mayweather, quickly dismiss the idea. Mayweather sets a condition: before Garcia can fight Davis, he must first get through Rolando Romero.

When the veil lifts

Mayweather’s current ties with Romero remain unclear. However, his relationship with Gervonta Davis has since soured and become highly public. Yet, as fate would have it, two fighters closely linked to Mayweather, past or present, have now delivered the only professional defeats of Ryan Garcia’s career. That said, beyond the historical irony of Garcia’s latest loss, deeper questions emerge about the underlying causes of his setback. Neither Garcia nor Romero is known for the technical finesse that defines fighters like Gervonta Davis or Devin Haney. Instead, their bout was largely a contest of equals. Heavy on power, light on precision.

This was the first fight for both men at 147 pounds. Perhaps Garcia’s return from a 12-month layoff left him vulnerable, with ring rust compounding his struggle. And Romero, after an up-and-down run at 140 pounds, may have finally found a weight class that suits him. One where even a deadly left hook like Garcia’s could be neutralized.

In a year marked by high-profile rematches and career-defining turns, Ryan Garcia now finds himself at a crossroads. If he hopes to regain momentum, it will take serious reflection, a sharper game plan, and a more disciplined approach moving forward.

What do you think went wrong for Garcia in this crucial bout?