Garcia and Haney flop in Fatal Fury showcase—rematch loses steam fast

What a joke. After all the noise, all the grand entrances, and all that fake “biggest night of boxing” spin, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney put on two of the flattest performances you’ll see all year. The supposed build-up to Garcia vs. Haney 2? Completely dead.

This whole Fatal Fury: City of Wolves card was hyped like it was the second coming of Hagler vs. Hearns. Instead, fans got dressed-up sparring sessions, with only Teofimo Lopez bothering to show up and do his job properly.

Let’s start with Haney. He was back in action after getting humbled by Garcia last year, facing Jose Ramirez in the co-main. How did it go? Same old Haney—backpedal, jab, hug, and repeat. Ramirez did his best to chase him down, but he might as well have been shadowboxing in mud. Haney’s plan? Move laterally like his life depended on it and do just enough to grab rounds. It worked, of course—UD win, business as usual.

But here’s the kicker: CompuBox had this dud ranked fourth all-time for the fewest punches landed in a 12-round fight. Haney landed 70 punches. Seventy. Ramirez? Just 40. That’s 12 rounds of nothing. If you watched the whole thing sober, you deserve hazard pay.

Then came Garcia vs. Rolly Romero, which should have saved the night. Garcia started sharp—good feints, solid jab. But then Romero reminded everyone why Garcia’s chin is still suspect. In round two, Rolly detonated a left hook combo and sat Garcia down hard. Garcia got up, but from that point, he fought like a man spooked. Gone was the swagger; in its place? Hesitation and caution. Romero bossed the rest of the fight and walked away with an easy unanimous decision.

So, let’s do the math: Garcia loses (again), Haney wins in the most boring way possible, and Teofimo is the only guy who looked like a real contender. The dream of Garcia vs. Haney 2? Dead and buried.

What now? Haney’s dream of ruling 147 looks dead on arrival. He couldn’t put a dent in Ramirez and looked tiny at welterweight. A smart move? Drop back to 140 and get in with Teofimo or take the Romero fight before fans forget he exists. As for Garcia? It’s back to square one. He needs a soft touch next—someone to knock out early to rebuild that brittle confidence. Then maybe, maybe, he can chase a Romero rematch.

Bottom line? Fatal Fury was all smoke and no fire. The lights were bright, but the fights were dim. Boxing fans wanted violence; they got a snoozefest and a chin-check. No one’s buying a sequel now.