“I Can’t Blame Him for What He’s Doing”: Days After Ryan Garcia’s Switch, Eddie Hearn Opens Up on Why He Ducked Devin Haney to Fight Rolly Romero

Eddie Hearn confessed regret. But as he shared, it’s not his doing. Often, a person experiences a significant letdown when the impressions they’ve formed about someone crumble like a house of cards. It appears the boxing promoter encountered similar tribulations.

So while speaking to his home channel, the boxing promoter shared his two bits on the developments across the pond. Especially the saga covering Ryan Garcia in the 140-pound division. Amidst some intertwining discussions over fights, it appeared that a bout between ‘KingRy’ and Devin Haney was a done deal. But, in a surprising twist, a new update emerged. Instead of Haney, Garcia would be taking on Rolando Romero. Like the Californian boxer, ‘Rollie’ joined the weight class after suffering a loss to Gervonta Davis last year. But he holds a title. Undoubtedly, like everyone else, the report stunned Eddie Hearn. He tried explaining his understanding of the reasons behind Garcia’s recent move.

Expectations defied: Eddie Hearn on Ryan Garcia

So Matchroom Boxing‘s channel caught up with Eddie Hearn. The reporter asked for his views on Ryan Garcia going public with his announcement about the Devin Haney fight. The Englishman responded, “Weird, really, really weird.” He shared how Garcia has sent him direct messages. The latter reportedly confirmed the clash he yearned for, the one with Devin Haney. Then Hearn shared how Oscar De La Hoya had been following up with him.

So his team was working with DAZN to calibrate an offer for the fight, tentatively to take place in the Middle East. Then came the jaw-dropper: Ryan Garcia wished to pursue a bout with Rolando Romero. As much as he understood that bit, Eddie Hearn shared that he genuinely believed that  ‘KingRy’ was someone who believed in leaving his footprint on boxing. However, the Matchroom honcho also mentioned that he won’t be faulting the young boxer if he decides to opt for a primrose path.

Hearn said, “I mistakenly believed that Ryan Garcia was a legacy guy; you know, he was a guy that wanted to fight the top guys for the championship, but I can’t blame him for what he’s doing; he’s taking the easy route to a championship.”

Sounding a bit disappointed that fans would be missing out on a significant match, Eddie Hearn hinted at recent rumors of Ryan Garcia spending time with Floyd Mayweather Jr. So the Matchroom boss seemingly believes in the possibility of receiving some advice.

But left in the lurch: Fans

However, Hearn doesn’t believe that it is as bad a decision as one might think. The Haney-Garcia line-up sounded fantastic. But there are chances that the Californian might have felt that entering the ring against ‘The Dream’ entails greater risk than going against ‘Rollie’, who is ‘beatable’ in comparison. More so, a win would fetch him the much-vaunted world title.

He said, “I know he’s been hanging around with Floyd Mayweather recently; maybe it was words of advice. I don’t think it’s a terrible decision, but I think the fans are disappointed because I think Haney against Garcia is a tremendous fight, but I’m sure Ryan Garcia looked at Devin Haney and went that is a really tough fight, and I can beat Roley Romero, so I’m going to fight him and get my belt.”

The star-studded lightweight division came alive last year. Teofimo Lopez stamped his presence by ousting Josh Taylor. Earlier in May, Rolando Romero defeated Ismael Barroso to become the WBA champion. Then Subriel Matias successfully retained his belt in November. Finally, Devin Haney ended the year with a statement win over Regis Prograis. But a parallel track saw Ryan Garcia mark his return with a win over Oscar Duarte. It was a matter of time before the tier-A listers turned on each other.

Read More: “The Second Coming of Floyd”: Amidst Devin Haney Fight Talks, Ryan Garcia’s Ripped Physique Gets Fans All Hyped Up for His Future in 2024

What’s your take on Eddie Hearn’s observations? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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