Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, said on Wednesday that he's begun talks with promoter Tom Brown of TGB Promotions for a super lightweight bout between Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero, as Garcia requested over the weekend on social media.
"Ryan and his manager, Lupe [Valencia], told us they preferred Rolly [over Devin Haney] and so we've gone out and reached out to Tom Brown trying to get that fight made," Gomez told keviniole.com on Wednesday.
Gomez said the framework of a deal for a Garcia-Romero fight exists since the sides came to terms in 2023 for a bout between Garcia and Gervonta Davis. That fight was hugely successful at the gate and on pay-per-view and at 1.2 million sales, was the best-selling boxing match on the year in the U.S.
Not long after defeating Oscar Duarte on Dec. 2, Garcia called out Haney and said he had instructed his team to put together a fight for him with Haney. Haney is the former undisputed lightweight champion who on Dec. 9 in San Francisco moved up in weight and routed Regis Prograis to win the WBC super lightweight title.
On Saturday, though, Garcia took to social media and said he wanted to meet Romero instead of Haney. So Gomez reached out to Brown and has been working with them on trying to finalize a deal.
But there was a dramatic turn on Wednesday. Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz learned he was not going to get a rematch with Davis and so he called out Garcia. Cruz lost a 12-round decision to Davis in Los Angeles on Dec. 5, 2021. He's been seeking a rematch with Davis ever since, but more than two years later, hasn't gotten satisfaction. Davis is going elsewhere for his first fight in 2024 so Cruz turned his attention to Garcia.
Garcia had posted a video in 2022 calling out Cruz. Cruz couldn't take a Garcia bout at the time because he had other obligations, but he and Garcia are both free now.
"Now is the time to make this fight," Cruz advisor Sean Gibbons told keviniole.com. "Garcia talked a lot of shit and said he wanted the fight and had a lot to say, but now that 'Pitbull' is available and to take the fight, it seems like his balls are shrinking and he's not so into the fight. This is the fight to make, though. Cruz is a real fighter.
"They had that rehydration clause [in the Davis] fight [with Garcia], but 'Pitbull' doesn't give a f*ck what he weighs. If Ryan wants to weigh in at 140 and come in at 180, go for it. Cruz is a real Mexican and he doesn't about shit like that. He just wants to fight."
Relations are strained between Golden Boy and Garcia and they're in litigation against each other. So Gomez clearly was trying to do what Garcia wanted by opening talks with the Premier Boxing Champions for a bout with Romero.
That said, Gomez said he thought a fight between Garcia and Cruz would be appealing.
"There's a lot of hype around Cruz right now," Gomez said. "He went 12 rounds with Davis and he took his punches and it's a real fiery type of bout. Ryan has told us what he wants to do next so we're honoring that and trying to get that fight with Romero done. But we know that Cruz fight is there for Ryan if something happens and that it's a fight a lot of people would want to see. They're both fun fights and Ryan will be in great fight in his next one, one way or the other."
Gibbons said money won't be an issue and said he believed he could reach a deal with Golden Boy in 10 minutes.
"You hear a lot of fighters talking about who is the A side, but we don't care about that," Gibbons said. "Ryan is the A side. Going in, he's the A side and we won't argue that. But coming out, 'Pitbull' will be the A side, believe me."