Ryan Garcia suggests the unusual fight venue may have contributed to his underwhelming performance.
On Friday night, Garcia headlined a fight card titled "Fatal Fury: City of Wolves" at the iconic Times Square in Manhattan, New York City, where he faced off against Rolando Romero.
"KingRy" struggled to find his rhythm from the opening bell and was knocked down by Romero in the second round. Throughout the bout, Garcia was consistently outboxed in a contest that lacked sustained action. Ultimately, "Rolly" impressed the judges with his technical precision, earning a unanimous decision victory.
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During the post-fight press conference, Garcia acknowledged falling short of expectations while praising Romero for his dominant performance in the squared circle. Many fans and analysts speculated that Garcia's year-long hiatus might have contributed to his disappointing showing.
However, another factor to consider is the venue itself. The high-profile event was held in a secluded section of Times Square with sparse fan attendance, and New York's notorious traffic added to the challenge.
The former WBC interim champion specifically cited the unusual venue as a possible factor in his lackluster performance.
I really wasn't a fan of that at all," Garcia said. "It felt like a sparring match, and it felt like you could hear everybody. It just didn't feel authentic to me. But no excuses. It is what it is. It was just so weird because usually once you step in the ring, everything fades away. This time I went in the ring and I could hear everything... Everybody just screaming stuff. I don't know why I didn't zone it out. It just felt like a weird fever dream. It was so awkward. Usually fights don't feel that way.
