What are the best bets?
FRIDAY night sees Times Square play host to a one-of-a-kind card, as Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney make their ring returns, each hoping to steal the show and get the fans talking.
Ahead of the action, Boxing News breaks down the odds and top bets for the main event and undercard, in association with bet365.
Haney a safe bet
After over a year since his controversial showdown with Garcia, Devin Haney (1/12) returns to action on the same card as his fierce rival and hopes to regain momentum in a catchweight bout at 144lbs against former unified super-lightweight world champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (7/1).
This contest is presumably set up to aid Haney’s progression to welterweight and an eventual rematch with Garcia, but Ramirez’s underwhelming performance against Arnold Barboza Jr. has this one perceived as little more than a ring rust remover for ‘The Dream’, who steps through the ropes as a sizeable favourite, despite Ramirez’s prior achievements.
Haney hasn’t scored a knockout win since 2019, going the distance in his last nine fights (including Garcia), and his run of requiring the judges is even more likely to continue with the added weight and possible plan to bank rounds before facing Garcia, lessening the impact of his inactivity.
As a result, it is hard to look beyond a Haney decision win (1/4), but a statement performance could still be achieved regardless, and bet365 is offering a bet boost of Haney to win via decision and score two knockdowns at a price of 8/1.
Teo’s close call
After two underwhelming defences since becoming a two-division champion, Teofimo Lopez (2/5) will look to silence his critics in what is expected to be the closest clash of the bill, as he seeks to end the undefeated run of California’s Arnold Barboza Jr. (2/1).
Barboza was able to pull off an upset when facing Jack Catterall on away soil earlier this year but faces a different stylistic match-up here. Still, the 33-year-old’s output was what saw him overcome the Brit, and a similarly front-footed display here is sure to make for an interesting fight.
Meanwhile, Lopez struggled with the back-footed Jamaine Ortiz and would probably rather take on a challenger who will be willing to meet him in the middle, with his perceived inability to close off the ring against defensive-minded opponents standing out as one of his key weaknesses—hence why Catterall was deemed the man to beat him by many.
Lopez has not won inside the distance since his 140lb debut, and that is unlikely to change here, with Fight to Go the Distance (2/9) seeming relatively nailed on. Nevertheless, we believe Barboza could adopt the style that brings out the best in the New Yorker for what would be his best win as a super-lightweight champion, as we favour a Lopez decision in his hometown at 4/5.
Will Romero stay on his feet?
Finally comes the return of Ryan Garcia (1/9), fresh from his one-year ban after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the aftermath of his career-best win against Devin Haney—which has since been ruled a no-contest.
While fans should be tentative about taking too much from that fight, Garcia’s ability to land his trademark left hook against a solid defensive fighter in Haney should not be overlooked, and that, combined with the much-needed move up in weight, means that big things are expected for both Garcia’s welterweight debut and future in the 147lb division.
In the main event of the evening, ‘King Ry’ collides with loud-mouthed compatriot Rolando Romero (11/2), as he bids to kickstart a new chapter in his career and tee up the rematch with Haney for later in the year, with an eye-catching beatdown of the former WBA super-lightweight champion.
As for Romero, ‘Rolly’ was ahead on one of the scorecards and looked to be holding his own against an elite fighter before being stopped by Gervonta Davis but has not looked the same since—a much-disputed stoppage win over Ismael Barroso for the WBA title beginning a title reign that was ended at the first attempt by Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz.
Romero has since bounced back with a decision win over Manuel Jaimes but is understandably expected to be outclassed against Garcia, lacking the defensive know-how to negate that show-stopping left hook.
Garcia is priced at 2/9 to get the job done without the judges’ intervention, but if you are fancying a larger price, we are opting for Garcia to score two knockdowns and get the stoppage between rounds 5-8 (3/1) using bet365’s Bet Builder feature.
