No boxer is seeking redemption quite like Ryan Garcia, who was knocked down in the second round and suffered a brutal loss to Rolando Romero on May 2nd in Times Square, New York. Garcia entered the bout as the heavy favorite but fell to the underdog Romero in stunning fashion. After the fight, he revealed he had been dealing with a right-hand injury and admitted he wasn’t able to give 100%, though he chose not to use the injury as an excuse to postpone the bout. The damage, however, was already done. The 26-year-old has since undergone surgery on his right hand, the second such procedure in four years, and while recovery has been slow, both camps remain optimistic about a potential rematch in December.

Though there’s been no official confirmation yet, speculation around the rematch gained momentum when 2ToneDaSupastar recently asked Garcia about it. Expecting a simple answer, he instead got a fired-up response. “Ima put him in a body bag,” Garcia replied, making it clear he’s seeking revenge for his second career loss. This time, the Victorville native seriously needs a dominant win to reignite his once-rising career. Since his defeat to Gervonta Davis, the Victorville native hasn’t quite felt like the major star he once was. And that’s exactly why a knockout victory over the WBA (Regular) welterweight champion could be the reset he needs. But is Rolly Romero equally fired up for the rematch?

Yesterday, Rolando Romero took to X and posted a five-word message amid ongoing talk of a potential Ryan Garcia rematch. “Who should I fight next 😎” the 17-2 boxer asked his fans since the rematch against Garcia is still not officially confirmed. But while the 29-year-old had previously expressed interest in facing Garcia again, even claiming, “Yeah, I’ll probably whoop his a– again. That was the easiest fight I’ve ever done,” his focus seems to have recently shifted toward other potential matchups.

Ever since Manny Pacquiao expressed interest in remaining active following his bittersweet return against Mario Barrios, Romero has seen a new opportunity. The WBA regular welterweight champion boldly claimed that facing Pacquiao would be the fastest route to boxing immortality. “A Hall of Famer on my resume, who wouldn’t want that?” Romero said in a recent FightHype interview. To his surprise, Pacquiao appeared to indirectly accept the challenge just a day later, adding fuel to the potential matchup.

Ultimately, everything seemed to be falling into place until Ryan Garcia once again stepped in to stir things up. “I’ve been interested in fighting the legendary Manny Pacquiao for a while now. It’s something that you dream of,” Garcia admitted, reigniting interest in a fight with the Filipino icon. While Pacquiao has long been eyeing high-profile matchups, including Garcia or Gervonta Davis, who has now abruptly announced his retirement, Garcia appears determined to settle the score with Romero first before chasing a dream bout of his own.

Ryan Garcia says he won’t be “defenseless” this time

As he prepares for a potential rebound, Ryan Garcia is adamant he’ll have his way with Rolando Romero if a rematch materializes. “The fight I am most interested in is me getting my rematch against Rolando Romero,” Garcia told The Ring. “That just wasn’t me that night,” he added. Garcia pointed to a host of issues that affected his performance: hand problems on both sides, a one-year layoff, a short four-week camp under Derrick James, and the low energy of a small crowd.

“It was the first time that’s ever happened in any of my fights,” Garcia continued. “It was hard for me to accept during the fight. I cried afterward, not because I lost, but because I was defenseless. It sucks when you’re a competitor. I was actually shocked Rolly wasn’t attacking me more.” The bout itself lacked action, aside from Romero’s second-round knockdown. And in case you don’t remember, their combined 123 punches landed out of a total of 490 punches thrown was the third-lowest ever recorded in a 12-round fight in CompuBox’s 40-year history, with Garcia landing just 66 punches and Romero, 57.

Now, with healthy hands and a renewed focus, Ryan Garcia envisions a drastically different performance. “The rematch is going to come down to who sets the pace and makes the move,” Garcia said. “I have a plan for him next time, and I’ll run him over with it and sink him in deep waters.” Now that Ryan Garcia has called his loss a much-needed “wake-up call,” fans are left wondering what he’ll bring to the table this time around. But the big question is: can he defeat Rolando Romero in their rematch?