He came, he saw, and he left defeated. Julius Caesar‘s famous words needed a twist to reflect what unfolded in Times Square just hours ago. Amid fanfare, glitz, and high expectations, Ryan Garcia returned to the ring after a year-long suspension. With the much-sought-after rematch against Devin Haney lingering in the background, many assumed his fight against Rolando Romero would be little more than a warm-up, a cakewalk. Instead, it turned into a nightmare.

Romero stunned the crowd by dropping Garcia in the second round, ultimately pulling off a unanimous decision victory. A major upset in New York. On the same card, Devin Haney secured a lackluster win over Jose Ramirez. But by the end of the night, it was clear: the highly anticipated Garcia-Haney rematch may have lost its momentum and now hangs in the balance. To his credit, Garcia was gracious in defeat, offering congratulations to Romero. Still, he couldn’t hide his disappointment. Some fans and commentators had hoped for the electric energy associated with Riyadh Season boxing spectacles. This wasn’t that, it seems.

Ryan Garcia: This isn’t how I pictured it

The frustration was written all over Garcia’s face. A reporter’s question about the subdued environment cut straight to the point: “Just your take on the whole scene. I’m wondering, if it had been a full arena, fans chanting — might it have changed anything? It felt kind of quiet, not what we were expecting.” So Ryan Garcia didn’t hold back. “Yeah, I didn’t really… uh, wasn’t a fan of that at all,” he admitted. “It felt like a sparring match. You could hear everybody — it just didn’t feel authentic to me.”

From the venue itself, a bustling city center globally renowned for its New Year’s Eve spectacle, to the reported absence of ticket sales altogether, ‘Fatal Fury: City of Wolves’ was a stark contrast to the previous weekend’s high-profile event at Wembley Stadium in London.

Sure, the VIPs had seats near the ring. But it was hard to ignore the crowds of fans standing behind barricades outside the perimeter, cheering every time the overhead camera panned their way. Compared to his past outings, from the interim title win over Luke Campbell, the blockbuster clash against Gervonta Davis at T-Mobile Arena, and the pay-per-view sellout at Barclays Center against Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, who’s accustomed to massive crowds and charged atmospheres, must have felt completely out of place fighting in such a disjointed setting.

Regardless of perception, the truth endures

Speaking about the card and the overall atmosphere, even Gabriel Rosado echoed similar sentiments. “I think a lot of what went wrong tonight was the atmosphere. Times Square sounded cool, but it just wasn’t right. The crowd plays a major difference in a boxing match. Fighters feed off the energy of the fans!”

But is that a valid reason for Garcia’s loss? To be fair, Ryan Garcia didn’t blame the circumstances for his second professional loss. “But you know, no excuses; it is what it is,” he said during the post-fight press conference, before moving on to the next question.

For the 26-year-old, who was hoping to make a bold statement with his return, it’s back to square one. He now faces the critical task of regrouping with his trainer and team to reassess his strategy and confront the shortcomings exposed in the ring.

What’s your take? Where do you think Ryan Garcia faltered in his fight against Rolando Romero?