On a night that saw ring girls replaced by impersonators of celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Hulk Hogan and Michael Jackson, a couple people wearing Elmo costumes and a drummer playing — standard sights and sounds in Times Square on a Friday night — Romero (17-2) ended up as the star of the show.

Times Square was the setting for Garcia’s first fight since he was suspended for a year after testing positive for PEDs vs. Devin Haney.

Garcia defeated Haney by majority decision in April 2024, dropping Haney three times with powerful left hooks. But the result was changed to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for a banned substance, for which he got a one-year suspension. Both Garcia and Haney will be fighting for the first time since their meeting at Barclays Center.