It really will become an iconic moment in British Boxing and the entire Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was buzzing.
While there were questions about how the main event would play out, the fans were the real winners on the night with a superb fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn and there is some appeal in having the rematch.
Ideally that would be without a rehydration clause attached, although Eddie Hearn has already suggested the terms have been signed with the exact some stipulations as the bout that took place this past weekend. With the money that has been invested by Turki Alalshikh, that is a clause that can removed though and there is still a suggestion that both fighters could end up taking different paths rather than going into the rematch.
Money will eventually talk and reports have suggested that both will be heading back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September, and the winner of that rematch may indeed be next in line to take on Canelo Alvarez.
The superstar is in action this weekend first and has also reportedly signed off on fighting Bud Crawford with that bout set for September, but he has spoken again of his desire to fight in the United Kingdom and spoke about Eubank Jr perhaps being the dance partner that can help sell out a Stadium. In reality Canelo fighting in the UK would sell out any Stadium regardless of the opponent, but that could be a big fight in twelve months time if both continue putting the wins together.
This is a big weekend with Canelo fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time on Saturday.
On Friday The Ring Magazine are putting on a special event in Times Square in New York City and they have captured the attention of the fans simply by having a card in such a unique spot. Of course the top three fights feature some of the biggest names in the sport and that card will be the attention of this post.
Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull is not expected to be a top main event, but the undercard is decent and that is something we have come to expect with those cards being run in Saudi Arabia.
And the weekend will close with Naoya Inoue back in action in the United States with reports suggesting he has signed a deal to fight his mandatory Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September in Tokyo. Those reports suggest it will be a fight run on the same weekend that many believe Canelo-Crawford will take place and could be another big weekend of Boxing with the Saudi investors keeping fans and fighters happy.
Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero
It has been a little over a year since Ryan Garcia was last seen in the ring battering Devin Haney and eventually earning the Decision win having put his unbeaten rival down in multiple Rounds.
He should have really been building on that victory, but it was announced that Ryan Garcia had failed a drug test and ultimately the result was changed into a No Contest.
A suspension has been served, but there is something shameful in the way Ryan Garcia has been lauded and little or no talk about the failed drug test has taken place. Devin Haney and his father Bill refuse to let Garcia off the hook, but the fans have made it clear that the latter is their favourite and he is line to have that rematch with Haney later in the year.
Well that is the case as long as Ryan Garcia keeps winning and his comeback fight is headlining the event in Times Square.
Sparring stories have perhaps raised some interest in the contest, but Rolly Romero is a considerable underdog having lost fights to Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz in his last four contests. He did win his last contest, but that was not against someone near to the level that Ryan Garcia can produce in the ring and there has long been a feeling that Romero earns these opportunities through his charisma rather than skill.
You have to believe that Ryan Garcia is going to be extremely motivated to show that he is past all of the controversy of failing his test and this feels like a bout that is designed for the Californian to really make a statement. He is expected to have the firepower to Stop Rolly Romero and it has led to plenty of victories inside the distance.
Even more telling is that Ryan Garcia carries plenty of early pop and you have to think he can time Romero onto something after perhaps shaking off some of the rust through the first couple of Rounds. We have seen Rolly hurt before and he has struggled to get out of those situations as he tries to fight fire with fire.
That is likely going to lead to being caught with his fundamentals not as strong as some of the top fighters in and around the Welterweight Division and Garcia can produce a big Stoppage before heading into a rematch with Devin Haney.
The aforementioned Devin Haney is also on the card in Times Square and he should have too much for Jose Carlos Ramirez.
Questions have to be asked about Haney simply because of the beating he took at the hands of Ryan Garcia in April 2024 and this is the first time he will be back in the ring since then.
A prime Jose Carlos Ramirez would have posed problems, but he looked a little out of sorts when last in the ring against Arnold Barboza Jr in November 2024. He was a Unanimous Decision loser on the day, but the cards were perhaps closer than they should have been and Ramirez may come up short against The Dream.
While having some solid wins on the resume, Jose Carlos Ramirez has been beaten by Barboza Jr and Josh Taylor and the most likely outcome of this bout is a Devin Haney win on the cards and lining himself up for the big rematch with rival Ryan Garcia.
Arnold Barboza Jr followed the win over Ramirez by travelling to Manchester to get the better of Jack Catterall earlier this year and that earned him the Interim WBO Light Welterweight World Title.
It also meant Barboza Jr earned this shot at the full WBO World Champion Teofimo Lopez, who is also considered the lineal Champion in the Division.
The other three World Champions in the Division are all going to be defending their titles in the weeks and months ahead and Teofimo Lopez would love to move into a position to Unify.
He cannot overlook this opponent though and that has been challenging for Lopez in recent years- big wins have been earned when the focus has been there, but Teofimo Lopez has also produced some underwhelming performances when not being involved in the biggest fights.
His fans have to be hoping that a fight like this one has lit the fire inside Lopez, especially considering some of the big opportunities that could open up for him if he impresses those organising the card.
This is not going to be an easy fight and you just have to expect Arnold Barboza Jr to be well prepared and he will not lose hope even if the card feels like it is going against him. That consistency could be key for the underdog, and he is likely to be competitive throughout, but ultimately you have to give Teofimo Lopez the edge.
The feeling is that he will need the cards though and a narrow Decision win in favour of the full Champion looks likely.
MY PICKS: Ryan Garcia to Win Between 5-8 @ 2.90 William Hill (1 Unit)
Teofimo Lopez to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 1.83 Paddy Power (1 Unit)
Boxing 2025: 15-41, - 21.73 Units (69 Units Staked, - 31.49% Yield)
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