Romero knocks out Garcia in return from doping suspension

NEW YORK: Ryan Garcia was defeated by Rolly Romero on his return from a doping suspension here at New York's iconic Times Square on Friday.

American Garcia, aged 26, was dropped in the second round by a left hook and outboxed in large parts of the welterweight bout.

Underdog Romero, aged 29, was deservedly awarded a unanimous decision with scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 118-109.

After the match, Garcia said he was doing well, but his opponent caught him early. He congratulated him on the victory.

"He fought a good fight; caught me early. No excuses, man. Congrats to him - he did a great job," Garcia said.

Garcia was competing for the first time since serving a one-year doping ban after testing positive for banned substance ostarine following his victory over Haney in April 2024, which was overturned into a no-contest.

"A whole year took a lot of my body physically and mentally," Garcia said, adding that he would now go "back to the drawing board".

Garcia was arrested in June for allegedly doing some $15,000 in damage at a Beverly Hills hotel and was suspended from World Boxing Council events a month later for making racist posts on social media.

He had arranged a New Year's exhibition bout against kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo, but that did not materialize when Garcia injured his wrist during training.