The idea of staging a three-fight card in the center of Times Square and over my long career covering boxing there was always a question. How could they possibly make this a reality? Logistics at the crossroads of the world, planning, and accommodations for fans?
After all this isn’t the annual New Year’s Eve celebration. This is boxing and leave it to the promoters, boxing has accomplished so many unusual occurrences over the years. But they came together and here we are.
Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, Eddie Hearn head of Matchroom Boxing, and Top Rank represented all on one platform late Tuesday afternoon in the heart of Times Square in New York City at the Palladium ballroom. There they were with six of the huge names. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Rolly Romero, Jose Ramirez, Arnold Barboza Jr. and the show stopper Teofimo Lopez.
They headline a Ring Magazine triple header outdoors in the crossroads of the world, Friday evening May 2. Only 350 seats for fans, this isn’t a New Year’s Eve celebration so how they will pull this off remains to be seen.
But this is boxing and where the unusual circumstances take place in a ring and planning what promoters say is best for the sport. They say this will be a supercard three-fight spectacular in Times Square, perhaps it will not supersede some of the recent. Perhaps not in the magnitude of mega boxing cards a few minutes away from 8th Avenue and the Mecca of Madison Square Garden.
However “Fatal Fury” city of the Wolves” has suspense and implications for bigger fights this year that involves the participants. Only boxing can do it this way with exception of those who grapple and devise a script with WWE. The matchups in Times Square provide a perspective of two champions (Lopez’ WBO junior welterweight title versus Barboza) in quest to unify the division with another champion Richardson Hitchins.
Devin Haney and Jose Ramirez, and the return of Ryan Garcia versus former champion Rolly Romero is the main event. Of course all eyes are on Garcia, returning from a year suspension imposed with getting nailed for failing a drug test and using a banned substance last April 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a no contest versus Haney that resulted in the fight being thrown off the books.
Garcia is seeking gold again, at 140 or welterweight at 147 and vows he is different, always saying his suspension was a conspiracy, yet he was caught with strict testing.
Haney has apparently agreed to drop his lawsuit against Garcia as being a hazard to him. Recall, Garcia also did not make weight and admitted to drinking alcohol prior to their fight, seen also at their weigh- in. That was the boxing story of 2024 it was said, more so from Haney, they would never meet again. But if both prevail they are headed for an anticipated and hyped second fight later this year.
Only in boxing can this happen andifferent from other major sports leagues that have authority with a commissioner. Boxing politics is dictated with alphabet soup organizations and now with the millions that promoters are lured into with Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority who recently purchased a revived Ring Magazine.
The Turki has revived boxing. He has brought the promoters together and fighters are getting mega fights. Though most of the activity of mega fights are taking place in Riyadh, good to a certain extent because fight fans here have a void. They can’t go to the Garden, or venues in Las Vegas where plenty of boxing history is a symbol of the sport.
4 March 2025.
Picture By Geoffrey Knott.
4 March 2025.
Picture By Geoffrey Knott.
4 March 2025.
Picture By Amanda Westcott.
4 March 2025.
Picture By Geoffrey Knott.
Regardless, we have sort of a mega card in Times Square. The Turki is also at the forefront of this one. Boxing fans who are lucky enough to get one of those tickets will be in paradise. Though their intent is to lure boxing back into the mainstream, they say boxing is back. To the contrary, boxing is no longer mainstream and luring those fans back into the picture has been difficult.
Though this one will get some mainstream attention. The names are there for the astute fans who follow. Outdoors in Times Square as the venue will gather some headlines because the event is in the crossroads of the world.They shouted insults at each other on the podium and Lopez again took center stage.
The three fights and Lopez versus Barboza to many should be the major fight but Ryan Garcia and his return overshadowed that,
Ryan Garcia (24-1, NC, 20 K0s, Mexican-American) vs Rolando “Rolly” Ronero (Mexican-American( (16-2, 13 KOs) junior welterweights. Romero with the knockout ratio but losing two of his last three fights including the WBA title to Issac “Pitbull Cruz).
Davin Haney (31-0,1 NC, 15 KOs) vs. Jose Ramirez (Mexican-American) (29-2, 18 KOs) both moved up to welterweight, interesting because Garcia and Haney could also meet at that weight in a rematch. Haney has not fought since meeting Garcia who put him on the canvas three times. Ramirez, a former unified junior welterweight champion needs this win to remain a fixture in another title hunt.
Teofimo Lopez (Hondorus, Brooklyn NY, 21-1,13 KOs) attempting to take over the junior welterweight division. He is the showstopper two-division champion and still remains under Top Rank umbrella though in a two-fight deal with Turki. But in June was not resembling the lightweight king he was against Steve Claggett. Barboza Mexican-American,32-0, 11 KOs) with Golden Boy and De La Hoya earned the title opportunity with a mandatory win over Jake Catterall in Manchester last month.
Ticket information for those limited few will be announced soon. Regardless, boxing in Times Square is the most unusual venue.
Rich Mancuso:X (@Ring 786) Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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