Ryan Garcia will undergo hand surgery Tuesday for an injury he picked up during training camp for his May 2 fight with Rolando “Rolly” Romero.
Despite suffering the injury to his right hand in the lead-up, Garcia chose to go through with the bout — reportedly with the aid of several cortisone shots — rather than withdraw from the Times Square DAZN pay-per-view main event. Sports Illustrated was first with the news of Garcia’s surgery.
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Garcia (24-2, 20 KOs) found himself knocked to the canvas in Round 2, courtesy of a Romero left hook, and was outworked for much of the remainder of the contest, resulting in a listless 12-round unanimous decision loss with the WBA “regular” welterweight belt on the line.
The star boxer’s performance on the night was underwhelming, raising questions post-fight about Garcia’s minimal output — the 48 power punches he threw were the fourth fewest for a 12-round fight in CompuBox history.
Garcia, 26, refused to mention the injury before or after his defeat to Romero, instead citing his 12-month hiatus due to a positive drug test for the banned substance ostarine after his fight with Devin Haney as the cause of his lackluster showing.
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The former WBC interim lightweight champion will be able to resume training in six weeks after surgery.
Had Garcia beaten Romero in Times Square, he would’ve moved straight into a Haney rematch in October, however his next step is now not as apparent. Garcia reportedly prefers an immediate rematch against Romero rather than going through with the planned second meeting with Haney.
