Rolando Romero ensured a historic evening in Times Square ended with drama befitting of the extraordinary surroundings after flooring Ryan Garcia on his way to a seismic upset victory on Friday night.

Garcia, who was expected to prevail here and setup a highly-anticipated rematch with arch-nemesis Devin Haney in September, was stunned by an early knockdown in the thick of New York City‘s digital jungle and failed to truly recover as he drifted towards the second defeat of his career via unanimous decision after moving up to 147lbs.

On a night where an astonishing AI-like setting undoubtedly stole the show, the two headline acts arrived to trade fists in the most unusual of circumstances after warming up and waiting to be called into action in nearby hotels.

Like every fighter on the card they made their way to this stunning outdoor arena in elegant vehicles which passed through a huge gathering of fans who lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the stars of the show, with Garcia opting to get there via Batmobile, before hopping out and walking to the ring through the back of the venue.

After a cagey opener saw both men ease themselves into a truly eerie atmosphere, with the faint sound of police sirens and the occasional roar of the crowd locked out from this one-off VIP event murmuring in the background as they went to battle, Romero, 29, ripped up the script in the second round by whipping in a stiff jab and then unleashing a crisp left hook to send the pre-fight favorite tumbling to the canvas.

Garcia, despite looking on shaky legs when he first returned to his feet, regained composure and successfully weathered the storm through the rest of the round as ‘Rolly’ stayed patient in an apparent bid not to wear himself out.

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Ryan Garcia suffered a shock loss to Rolly Romero on Friday as boxing took over Times Square

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Romero’s performance will mean the boxing world must take him more seriously going forward

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Romero ripped up the script in the second by unleashing a crisp left hook which floored Garcia

They both took a breather in the third after the dramatic three minutes which preceded it, before Ryan slowly began to get into his groove in the fourth and fifth.

Yet as the bout creeped into its second half, the 26-year-old appeared to be feeling the pace while Romero, who initially failed to follow up on his early success, slowly shifted momentum back in his favor.

It was the strangest of declines from Garcia as he allowed Romero to slowly exert his dominance with little resistance.

The famous left hook and blistering combinations which gave Haney and so many other past victims hell were simply nowhere to be seen. Even the right hand was packed away for the night. ‘King Ry’ had gone gun shy.

Instead, he merely flicked out his jab on occasion while trying to steer out the way of the increasing series of Romero attacks coming his way.

Amidst the blinding lights of New York’s iconic intersection, in a once-in-a-lifetime event we may never witness again, Garcia appeared to have stage fright.

By the time the contest reached the championship rounds, the underdog was well and truly in the ascendancy. Garcia, either too sheepish, devoid of ideas or merely gassed after more than a year out of the ring, had no answer. In the city that famously never gets any shut-eye, he sleepwalked to defeat.

Romero essentially clinched this victory, a victory which thrusts him into world championship contention at welterweight out of nowhere, when he upped the ante in the ninth, 10th and 11th to overwhelm his impotent adversary. He may not have landed a great deal clean, but at least someone was trying to force the action.

Even in the 12th and final round Garcia was in no rush to find a hail-mary knockout at the death that could have spared his blushes.

So by the time the final bell sounded, there could only be one winner.

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Boxing took over Times Square on Friday night but Garcia suffered a shock defeat

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Under the dazzling lights of New York’s most iconic setting, he seemed to have stage fright

Romero’s hand was rightfully raised at the end of a fairly drab affair barring his second-round knockdown thanks to two scores of 115-112 and one 118-109 verdict, which handed him the WBA’s second-fiddle ‘regular’ welterweight title.

While the action was limited, he was a clear victor on a night where Garcia seemed a shadow of his former self.

In his post-fight press conference, a crestfallen Garcia admitted he had not felt sharp in training camp leading up to the bout. He also described the unusual ring walk and flat atmosphere inside the arena as a ‘fever dream.’

The social-media sensation will be left to lick his wounds on an evening which saw bitter foe Haney cruise to a points victory against Jose Ramirez, albeit in another unexciting encounter, while Teofimo Lopez, another potential future opponent who held up his end of the bargain against Arnold Barboza Jr, also had his hand raised at the end of 12 rounds after an impressive display.

As Garcia slumped to a truly humbling defeat on one of the biggest nights of his career, the often-ridiculed Romero, who has become somewhat of a cult hero in recent years due to his hilarious trash talking and wild, unorthodox fighting style, came of age in a performance which will shock the boxing world into taking him much more seriously going forward.

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Thousands of boxing fans descended on the iconic landmark to savor the unique atmosphere

Perhaps it is he who should be rewarded handsomely with a payday against Haney in Saudi Arabia later this year.

All the talk heading into this unprecedented card in the thick of Times Square centered around Garcia and what he had on the agenda. Haney in September, then maybe Conor Benn in early 2026?

Romero had other ideas.

Yet on a night for the ages as far as sporting venues are concerned, Rolly flipped the script to secure a triumph he will never forget.