Following PBC’s announcement of their March 30 show which will feature Rolando Romero and Isaac Cruz in the co-main event, Ryan Garcia has responded on social media after his claims of fighting Romero were found to be false. Earlier this week, Garcia had announced his fight with Romero to be “official”, but this has now clearly been disproven.

Earlier this week, Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KO’s) had announced that he would be facing Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-1, 13 KO’s) in a title fight for the WBA super lightweight belt in April, but this turned out to be false following PBC’s announcement. Following the announcement, the American 140-pounder went on Twitter to express he had been deceived.

“Look I was informed the deal was finalizing and it would be announced in the coming days,” Garcia posted.

“Obviously that was a lie. My patience has been tested the last few weeks. I’m trying my best to be as honest and real as I can to you guys. I’ll be looking forward to announcing my next fight.

“I’m not going to say anything until it’s actually signed and delivered. I still look forward to putting on a big PPV for DAZN Boxing. Have a blessed day.“

Garcia opted not to reveal who actually lied to him but several potential suspects have already been identified:

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. and PBC: Ryan Garcia and Floyd Mayweather Jr. were spotted earlier this month socializing together in Las Vegas. Shortly afterwards, Garcia announced his intention to face Romero. Coincidentally, Mayweather is also Romero’s promoter due to Romero being signed to Mayweather Promotions, thus leading to speculation that Mayweather had convinced Garcia he would fight Romero.
  
  Furthermore, Mayweather Promotions is aligned with PBC who announced the card Rolly Romero would be featured on against Isaac Cruz (25-2-1, 17 KO’s), which may suggest that Mayweather have intentionally distracted or deceived Garcia for whatever purpose. Notably, Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya―head of Golden Boy Promotions to which Garcia is signed―have had a rivalry stemming all the way back to when they were both active boxers almost two decades ago.
  
  What may help Mayweather’s case in proving his innocence is that he himself announced Romero to be fighting Garcia through social media:
  
  “Ryan Garcia Vs. Rolly Romero; one the most anticipated fights this year. I guarantee this will be action packed. This one right here is bombs away!” Mayweather posted on his Instagram account.
  
  Alternatively, this can also merely mean that Mayweather was in on the fact there would not be a fight between Romero and Garcia. As Romero is still a fighter signed to his promotion, Mayweather would have knowledge of the negotiations taking place between Romero and Cruz.
  
  Though evidence is still inconclusive pertaining to this case, PBC or representatives of Romero might have intentionally led Garcia to believe his fight with Romero would be officially announced in the near future, which then would have prompted Garcia to be convinced enough to proclaim publicly that he would be facing Romero next.
  
  
• Oscar De La Hoya: Though De La Hoya has been Garcia’s promoter since 2016, the personal relationship between the two has deteriorated following De La Hoya’s and Bernard Hopkins’―an executive and stakeholder within the company―absence during the post-match proceedings following the Davis-Garcia event last year in April.
  
  Since then, Golden Boy has filed a lawsuit against Garcia for potential breach of contract. Last year December the personal conflict between Garcia and De La Hoya/Hopkins was made public during a pre-match press conference for Garcia’s fight with Oscar Duarte where he criticized both of the Golden Boy executives.
  
  There is therefore a slim chance De La Hoya may have somehow influenced the negotiations between Garcia and Romero, though it should be noted it is not allowed for promoters to simultaneously act as managers and take active part in negotiations according to the Muhammad Ali Act. However, as a boxing legend and experienced promoter, it is not entirely out of the question that De La Hoya could have played a role in the failure of these negotiations―however unlikely.
  
  
• Ryan Garcia’s management team: Boxers employ managers to negotiate such matters such as bout contracts, thus it is without a doubt that Garcia’s management was involved in talks with Rolly Romero’s team. They therefore should bear most of the responsibility in what led to this collapse.
  
  Speculatively, it might be a case of Garcia’s management team having colluded with Romero’s team, though this is merely an assumption based on the limited information available surrounding these negotiations.

Regardless of who bears the responsibility, Ryan Garcia himself is culpable in this case. His assertion that he was lied to doesn’t hide the fact that he should have confirmed whether there was actually a fight in place before announcing his match with Rolly Romero earlier this week.

This matter will serve as a learning lesson for Garcia to confirm what he claims, and to make sure that whoever he employs or works with are trustworthy and reliable. Following the breakdown of the Romero-Garcia fight, Ryan Garcia revealed he is currently in negotiations for an opponent he refused to name. There are indications this might be Jose Carlos Ramirez (28-1, 18 KO’s), a recent Golden Boy signee whom De La Hoya had been interested in pitting against Garcia.