Rolly Romero has dismissed Ryan Garcia’s interest in fighting the winner of his upcoming contest against Teofimo Lopez, accusing Garcia of avoiding a rematch on two separate occasions following their May 2025 fight. Romero insists Garcia lacks genuine intent.
Romero earned a unanimous decision victory over Garcia in May 2025, dropping his opponent in the second round and controlling enough of the contest to win on all three scorecards by 115-112, 115-112, and 118-109. Despite a direct rematch clause existing between the fighters, a second bout never materialized. Speaking ahead of his August 22 fight against Lopez in Las Vegas, Romero expressed disbelief that Garcia’s name continues to be raised in connection with his future plans.
He stated: “Didn’t he duck me twice? He ducked me after our direct rematch clause, and he ducked me after he fought Barrios,”
Romero pointed out that Garcia had a second opportunity to pursue the fight after his bout against Mario Barrios, but ultimately elected to take a different direction. Garcia has recently cited several high-profile names while discussing his future options, including the winner of the upcoming Romero-Lopez match.
He added: “You’re going to tell me that this dude wants to fight or he’s just trying to chase whatever clout he can get right now? Same way he calls out everybody in the world and doesn’t fight anybody. Don’t bring up Ryan Garcia. He’s a clout-chasing fool.”
Romero’s immediate focus is set firmly on his August 22 showdown in Las Vegas, where Lopez will be making his step up to the welterweight division. A win for Romero would further elevate his standing in the weight class and naturally generate interest in a potential rematch. But Romero maintains that Garcia should be judged on past actions rather than recent callouts. With Lopez moving up in weight for the August 22 meeting, the bout carries significant implications for the division. For now, Romero insists Garcia remains outside the picture until actions match words.
