NEW YORK – Oscar De La Hoya doesn’t deny that Ryan Garcia is the clear favorite over Rolando “Rolly” Romero.

Garcia’s promoter fully expects him to beat Romero impressively May 2 in Times Square, just as DraftKings’ 9-1 odds suggest he will do. “The Golden Boy” also realizes that the strong, unorthodox Romero will be dangerous at times against Garcia in the 12-round main event of The Ring’s “FATAL FURY: City Of The Wolves” pay-per-view card.

“Rolly is a big puncher,” De La Hoya told The Ring. “He’s always dangerous because he throws punches from different angles than what your typical, normal fighter, you know, is used to. He comes out [over the] top. He throws wide punches. His footwork is unique to say the least.”

North Las Vegas’ Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) has also lost by technical knockout in two of his past four fights, but against top opposition.

Gervonta Davis stopped him in the sixth round of their May 2022 bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Isaac Cruz defeated Romero by eighth-round TKO in March 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC) has lost only to Baltimore’s Davis (30-0, 28 KOs, 1 NC), who knocked him out with a body shot in the seventh round in April 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Victorville, California native will end a one-year layoff when he meets Romero, though, because the New York State Athletic Commission suspended him for a year and fined Garcia $1.2 million for failing a performance-enhancing drug test following his 12-round, majority-decision defeat of Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) last April 20 at Barclays Center.

Garcia’s victory over Haney was changed to a no-contest because he tested positive for ostarine, a substance banned by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

If Garcia gets past Romero and Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) defeats former WBC/WBO 140-pound champ Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature May 2, Garcia and Haney have contractually agreed to square off in a rematch sometime in October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“I think it’s a great test,” De La Hoya said of Garcia facing Romero. “It’s the best test Ryan can have in his comeback, after a year off. Rolly is not gonna be a walk in the park. But Ryan obviously has the better skills. He has the tighter guard, the faster hands, more power, so you know, you have to go into this fight knowing that Ryan has the total advantage.”

The Ring pay-per-view event headlined by Garcia, 26, and Romero, 29, can be purchased on its own for $59.99. It can also be bundled with the Riyadh Season pay-per-view show scheduled for the next night for $89.99.

Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) and Cuba’s William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) will fight for Alvarez’s Ring, WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight titles and Scull’s IBF belt in the 12-round main event May 3 at ANB Arena in Riyadh. Both pay-per-view cards will be distributed exclusively by DAZN.