“I Cried Too”- Rolando Romero Saves Ryan Garcia’s Reputation as Post-Fight Photo Draws Backlash

Rolando Romero knows what it feels like to take a loss—and the long road it takes to come back from one. After suffering a TKO defeat to Gervonta Davis in 2022, Romero moved up a weight class, determined to leave the past behind. While he bounced back with a ninth-round stoppage win over Ismael Barroso, another setback followed in March 2024 when he was outboxed by Isaac Cruz. Still, Romero rebounded once again, putting together a two-fight win streak, including a dominant showing against Manuel Jaimes and, most notably, a headline-grabbing unanimous decision win over Ryan Garcia. Now, with momentum on his side, Romero is looking ahead—but not without showing compassion for the man he just beat.

In a candid appearance on The Danza Project podcast yesterday, the 29-year-old showed a side of himself fans don’t often see. When the host referenced Garcia’s emotional moment following the loss, specifically the viral footage of him crying in a van, the 17-2 boxer didn’t mock or downplay it. Instead, he related to it. “They want to all talk sh-t about Ryan Garcia crying in the van after the fight and stuff,” Romero said. “But I’ll tell you like this – on the same time when I went in my van, I sat down and I cried too.”

Rolando Romero emphasized that in the brutal world of boxing, fighters are still human. “It doesn’t make you less of a man because you cried,” he added. “The only people that are criticizing the dude for crying are people on the internet that don’t got the b-lls to do this sh-t their damn selves.”

“They want to make fun of Ryan for Crying,

I cried too. We are human!

Those that criticize him are people on the internet that don’t have the balls to do this shit themselves”

Good by DANZA with a lot more good content in the video (FULL LINK BELOW!)#Boxing#BOXINGnBBQ pic.twitter.com/wNk8mFjmHR

— BOXING n BBQ (@BOXINGnBBQ) May 7, 2025

With those words, Rolly Romero not only showed empathy for KingRy but also reminded fans of the emotional toll fighters endure in and out of the ring—a rare moment of vulnerability in a sport so often defined by toughness. But that’s not all.

The Las Vegas native confidently predicted that Ryan Garcia still has the edge over Devin Haney, despite his recent loss. “Ryan beats Devin Haney again,” Romero declared. “Ryan is going to go on a winning streak now, you can tell. Ryan is a tremendous fighter. They can say whatever they want, but I know him well.”

However, Rolando Romero’s praise for Garcia wasn’t without a dig at Haney.

Rolando Romero snubs Devin Haney

Rolando Romero wasn’t mincing words when it came to the idea of facing Devin Haney. And he’s making it clear that the fight wasn’t on his radar. Coming off the biggest win of his career against Ryan Garcia, Romero told TMZ exactly how he felt.

“Haney wasn’t a big fight to begin with. He wasn’t a big fight when he fought Ryan. And he’s definitely not a big fight after he just became a track star,” he said. The jab, of course, referenced Haney’s ultra-defensive style in his recent win over Jose Ramirez—a performance that left many fans underwhelmed. But, Romero didn’t stop there.

Pressing the point, he asked the interviewer, “So, you tell me, real quick, are you excited to see anybody fight Devin Haney?” When the response was a hesitant, “Not right now,” Romero quipped, “Devin Haney had one exciting fight, and that was when he got his a– kicked by Ryan Garcia.” So, instead of chasing Haney, Rolly made it known that his focus is locked on a rematch with Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

With that said, it’s clear Rolando Romero is aiming higher, and he wants redemption more than anything. So the question is: can Rolly Romero earn his shot at Tank Davis? Or is there someone else in the division you’d like to see him take on next?

The post “I Cried Too”- Rolando Romero Saves Ryan Garcia’s Reputation as Post-Fight Photo Draws Backlash appeared first on EssentiallySports.