A Forgettable Night in Times Square & Riyadh

On May 2, 2025, the global boxing spotlight turned toward two distant arenas: Times Square, New York, and Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The convergence of marquee names—Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Rolando Romero, and Canelo Alvarez—promised a landmark night in boxing. With stakes high and narratives layered in history, controversy, and legacy, expectations reached fever pitch. However, as the final bell sounded across both venues, the event was remembered less for its brilliance and more for its disappointment, offering a sobering reflection on the current state of the sport.

In Times Square, Devin Haney returned to the ring for the first time since April 2024, when he suffered three knockdowns and a controversial loss to Ryan Garcia. That result was later overturned after Garcia tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, leaving Haney’s record officially unblemished but his aura undeniably affected. Haney’s bout this time was against Jose Ramirez, the former unified light welterweight champion who had taken time off following back-to-back losses to Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez. Ramirez’s reputation as a pressure fighter and volume puncher offered a potentially dangerous matchup for Haney, who has built his career on technical mastery and defensive control.

The fight unfolded in a pattern familiar to those who have followed Haney’s career closely. From the opening round, Haney used his jab to maintain distance, relied on lateral movement to neutralize Ramirez’s aggression, and frequently initiated clinches to reset the action. The punch statistics told a clear story: Haney landed 70 of 224 punches, while Ramirez connected on only 40 of 279. It was not an exciting bout, but it was a technically dominant one for Haney, who won by unanimous decision with scorecards of 119-109 twice and 118-110. Yet despite the clarity of his win, the reaction among fans and pundits was lukewarm. Haney’s conservative style, while effective, lacked the explosiveness that many hoped to see after a year-long layoff. The performance rekindled debates about the entertainment value of pure boxers and the burden they bear to “win impressively,” a standard rarely applied as harshly to power punchers.

Haney’s muted night would have still left room for redemption had Ryan Garcia delivered on his own comeback. Garcia, the 25-year-old social media sensation turned divisive boxing figure, was fighting for the first time since his victory over Haney had been nullified. Originally, Garcia was supposed to rematch Haney in a grudge match to resolve unfinished business. That rematch was derailed when Rolando Romero, the WBA super lightweight champion, agreed to defend his belt against Garcia instead. Many viewed it as a tune-up for Garcia—a chance to collect a belt and set the stage for a blockbuster unification bout.

Instead, Romero pulled off what may go down as the biggest upset of 2025. From the very beginning, Romero looked sharper than he had in previous fights. In the second round, he landed a clean left hook that floored Garcia and shifted the tone of the fight. Garcia beat the count, but never fully recovered his rhythm. The speed and timing that once defined his performances were absent. Over the course of 12 rounds, Garcia landed just 66 punches out of 210 thrown, while Romero connected on 57 of 280. The punch stats, while modest, were indicative of a fight fought at a tentative pace. For Garcia, who had built his brand on hand speed and knockout power, it was a humbling performance.

The judges awarded Romero a unanimous decision with scores of 115-112 on two cards and 118-109 on the third. Romero, often dismissed as a crude brawler, displayed poise and control that surprised many. His post-fight remarks were equally surprising. Rather than demand a major payday or defend his belt against top contenders, Romero advocated for Haney and Garcia to have their rematch anyway. It was a rare moment of humility and perhaps a calculated move to keep his name in proximity to two of boxing’s biggest stars.

While the American boxing scene grappled with its underwhelming night, the sport’s most decorated active champion was across the globe in Riyadh. Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight king, returned to action against William Scull, a relatively unknown but undefeated contender from Cuba. The bout marked Canelo’s 20th world title fight and came at a time when questions about his longevity had begun to surface. At 34, Canelo had already defeated a long list of elite opponents across four weight classes and had become a central figure in boxing’s modern era. Yet his recent performances, including a dominant but uninspired win over Jermell Charlo, had raised concerns about whether his best years were behind him.

The fight against Scull did little to silence those concerns. Scull, though undefeated, brought a style ill-suited for entertainment. He spent most of the night on the back foot, circling the ring and throwing range-finding jabs with little intent to engage. Canelo pressed forward throughout, targeting the body and looking to cut off the ring, but never truly ramped up the pressure. The result was a tactical, low-output contest that broke a CompuBox record for the fewest punches landed in a 12-round fight. The judges awarded Alvarez a unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109. While the win preserved Canelo’s status as the undisputed champion, the fight itself left fans underwhelmed and critics unimpressed.

In the post-fight interview, Canelo expressed frustration with Scull’s unwillingness to engage, saying, “That’s why I don’t like to fight those kinds of guys... they just try to survive.” It was a fair assessment, but it also echoed a broader sentiment among viewers who expected more urgency from the Mexican legend. Fortunately, there was one bright note in the aftermath. Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the driving force behind many of the Kingdom’s major sporting events, confirmed that Alvarez would face Terence Crawford on September 12, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The announcement reignited excitement for a cross-generational showdown that has long been discussed but never realized.

Taken together, the events of May 2 reflected both the highs and lows of boxing in its current state. The sport remains capable of drawing massive audiences, staging events in iconic locations, and creating narratives rich with history and emotion. Yet it also suffers from an identity crisis—caught between entertainment and purism, spectacle and substance. Haney’s technical dominance, Garcia’s collapse, Romero’s rise, and Canelo’s preservation of the status quo all speak to the complex ecosystem boxing has become.

Historically, boxing has seen similar nights. In the 1990s, fans bemoaned the tactical style of Pernell Whitaker, despite his brilliance. In the early 2010s, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was routinely criticized for making elite opponents look ordinary. The difference now is the fragmented nature of boxing’s audience and the heightened role of online discourse. Fighters are no longer judged solely on their wins and losses, but on the optics of their performances, their social media presence, and their ability to generate viral moments. In this environment, a win like Haney’s or Canelo’s can feel like a loss if it fails to capture imagination.

The cultural backdrop also matters. Boxing has long carried national significance, especially in countries like Mexico, the United States, Cuba, and the Philippines. When national icons underperform, the disappointment is collective. Canelo’s fight drew millions of viewers in Mexico, and while the win added to his legend, the performance did little to energize a new generation of fans. Similarly, Haney and Garcia, both American fighters of Mexican descent, entered the night as representatives of a new wave. Their performances, though for different reasons, failed to live up to the promise of a changing guard.

May 2, 2025, was supposed to be a celebration of boxing’s elite. Instead, it became a reminder of the sport’s ongoing struggle to balance legacy and entertainment. For Haney, Garcia, and Canelo, the next steps are clear but not simple. Haney must decide whether safety-first boxing will suffice in an era that demands spectacle. Garcia must rebuild not just his record, but his confidence. And Canelo, despite continued dominance, must find motivation to deliver performances worthy of his legacy.

As the dust settles, fans and fighters alike are left with more questions than answers. But perhaps that’s the paradox of boxing—its magic often lies not in resolution, but in the tension between greatness and failure, control and chaos, dominance and doubt.