On May 2 (May 3 Japan time), the main event of “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” was held in Times Square, New York. It was a bout for the vacant WBA World Welterweight Regular Title. Former WBC Interim Lightweight Champion and current No. 3 ranked contender Ryan Garcia (USA) — 24 wins (20 KOs), 1 loss, 1 no contest — faced former WBA Interim Lightweight and former WBA Super Lightweight World Champion Rolando Romero (USA), ranked No. 2 in the division, with a record of 16 wins (13 KOs) and 2 losses. Romero won the fight by decision.
The opening round began with a jab exchange, with Garcia showing impressive speed and reach on his jab. In round 2, right at the start, Romero closed the distance and landed a well-timed left hook, dropping Garcia. Garcia quickly got back to his feet, regained composure, and prevented Romero from following up, soon returning to his usual rhythm.
In round 3, Garcia varied his jab, targeting both head and body. Romero, using a crouched stance, looked for the right moment to unleash his power shots. In round 4, Romero extended his jab to the body, while Garcia, staying cautious, continued to jab and waited for an opportunity to land his right hand.
In round 5, both fighters exchanged jabs up and down, attempting to follow up with the right, but each remained wary, resulting in a tense, tactical battle. In round 6, Romero applied pressure and looked for chances to throw his left hook off the jab. Garcia jabbed occasionally but kept his output low.
In round 7, both landed jabs—Garcia aiming with his right straight, and Romero targeting the left hook—but neither landed cleanly. In round 8, Garcia, wary of Romero’s power, became more defensive and threw fewer punches. Romero pressed forward, searching for opportunities to land his powerful right hand.
In round 9, Romero followed a jab to the body with a strong left hook. Garcia only threw occasional jabs and remained inactive. In round 10, Romero jabbed to the body and then stepped in with a powerful right and left hook at close range. Garcia stayed on the back foot and failed to respond.
In round 11, Romero kept up the pressure and threw powerful left and right hooks at the inactive Garcia. Although Garcia blocked some shots, he kept backing up and looked listless, unable to mount any offense.
In the final round, the momentum remained unchanged. Romero initiated with a body jab and stepped in aggressively, while Garcia continued to retreat and failed to show any of his usual explosive offense. The fight ended without Garcia launching a single bold attack. The official scores were 118-109, 115-112, and 115-112 in favor of Romero.
Romero stuck to his strengths until the end and captured the title with a determined performance. Though known for his confidence, Garcia failed to show his usual flair, lacked powerful offense, and steadily lost rounds from the middle of the fight onward.
We hope to see Garcia bounce back in the future!
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