A big boxing card takes place tonight, Friday, May 2, in Times Square in New York City. The event is headlined by a matchup between Ryan Garcia and Rolando “Rolly” Romero. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Devin Haney faces Jose Ramirez. Before the headlining bouts, Teofimo Lopez puts his WBO super lightweight title on the line against Arnold Barboza Jr. Below, we look at the odds, picks, predictions, and best bets for tonight’s Garcia vs. Romero boxing card.
Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando “Rolly” Romero Full Fight Card:
Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero – Welterweight
Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez – Welterweight
Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr. – For Lopez’s WBO super lightweight title
Ryan Garcia Vs. Rolando “Rolly” Romero
Tonight’s Garcia vs. Romero boxing match marks the first time Garcia (24-1-0-1 with 20 knockouts) will compete since he defeated Haney via majority decision in April 2024. The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) later ruled the fight a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test related to the bout. Garcia tested positive for ostarine and received a one-year suspension for the failed drug test. The NYSAC also ruled that Garcia’s $1.1 million purse had to be returned to the promoter. The commission fined Garcia $10,000. The matchup was initially for Haney’s WBC super lightweight title, but Garcia was not eligible to win the belt because he came in 3.2 pounds over the championship limit of 140 pounds. Haney had been 31-0 entering the Garcia scrap.
Romero (16-2 with 13 knockouts) has alternated wins and losses over his past five outings. He carried a 14-0 record into his May 2022 matchup against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, but lost that contest via sixth-round TKO. Romero bounced back with a May 2023 TKO win over Ismael Barroso, winning the vacant WBA super lightweight belt in the process. He followed that victory with another TKO loss, this time losing in the eighth round to Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, and giving up his belt. In his most recent outing, Romero defeated Manuel Jaimes by unanimous decision in September 2024.
Ryan Garcia Vs. Rolando “Rolly” Romero: Odds And Best Bets
Ryan Garcia to win via KO/TKO: -400
Rolly Romero to be knocked down twice or more: +100
Ryan Garcia to win in Rounds 4-6: +230
Devin Haney Vs. Jose Ramirez
Devin Haney (31-0-0-1 with 15 KOs) was on a 31-fight winning streak when he stepped into the ring against a seemingly unhinged Ryan Garcia at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in April 2024.
Garcia dropped Haney three times that night on route to a decision win. However, as mentioned above, Garcia failed a drug test, which resulted in the outcome of the fight being overturned, and ruled a no contest. The failed drug test and Garcia’s weight miss give Haney some slack heading into the Ramirez matchup, but Garcia tagged Haney with his left throughout the fight. Make no mistake, Haney needs a bounce-back performance in Times Square.
Jose Ramirez (29-2 with 18 KOs) opened his career on a 26-0 run. By the time Ramirez faced Josh Taylor in May 2021, Ramirez owned the WBC and WBO light welterweight titles. Taylor held the WBA and IBF belts. When the fight ended, Taylor walked away with the decision win and as the undisputed light welterweight champ.
Ramirez bounced back with three wins before dropping a decision to Arnold Barboza Jr. in November 2024.
The Haney vs. Ramirez fight will be contested at welterweight.
ESPN has Haney ranked as the No. 2 junior welterweight.
Devin Haney Vs. Jose Ramirez: Odds And Best Bets
Devin Haney to win via decision: -390
Devin Haney to win and under 1.5 knockdowns: -285
Jose Ramirez to be knocked down: +260
Teofimo Lopez Vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
Teofimo Lopez (21-1 with 13 KOs) is riding a five-fight winning streak since he lost the WBA, IBF, and WBO lightweight belts to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021.
Lopez captured the WBO light welterweight crown in June 2023 with a decision win over Josh Taylor. He has defended the belt twice, beating Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett on points.
Barboza (32-0 with 11 KOs) won the vacant interim WBO light welterweight belt in February with a split decision win over Jack Catterall. The victory was Barboza’s eighth decision in in nine outings dating back to August 2020.
ESPN has Lopez ranked at No. 1 in the 140-pound division, while Barboza checks in at No. 3 in those rankings. The man between them at No. 2 is Devin Haney, who also competes on the May 2 fight card against the unranked Jose Ramirez.
Lopez has not fought since June 2024, while Barboza has two fights since November 2024, most recently competing in February.
Teofimo Lopez Vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.: Odds And Best Bets
Arnold Barboza to win via decision: +260
Lopez to win via decision: -120
Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza to go the distance: -390
*Odds via DraftKings
Garcia Vs. Romero Prediction And Pick
The idea behind this fight is to get Garcia a showcase and make fans forget the failed drug test and suspension, while at the same time setting up a rematch between Garcia and Haney. All signs point to that happening and both fighters winning on Friday.
The betting pick is for Ryan Garcia to defeat Rolly Romero by knockout.
Haney Vs. Ramirez Prediction And Pick
Haney lost a lot of his shine against Garcia. Sure the fight was ruled a no contest after Garcia’s failed drug tests, but that doesn’t erase the fact that Haney was dropped three times in that fight. Look for him to make a statement against an opponent he should beat, even on Ramirez’s best day.
The betting pick is for Devin Haney to beat Jose Ramirez via decision.
Lopez Vs. Barboza Jr. Prediction And Pick
No matter how you look at it, there is betting value in Barboza. He entered his past two fights against Jose Ramirez and Jack Catterall as the underdog. He won both of those contests by decision, so he enters Friday’s matchup not just with momentum, but with confidence. Yes, Lopez is a step up in competition and he is a bigger betting favorite than Ramirez and Catterall were, but Barboza won those fights, and that’s not nothing.
The betting pick is for Arnold Barboza Jr. to beat Teofimo Lopez via decision for the biggest win of his boxing career.
The Romero Vs. Garcia boxing card begins tonight, Friday, May 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The event streams on DAZN pay-per-view.
