A night of punches in bunches awaits Times Square in New York this Friday night, as Ryan Garcia prepares to make his much-anticipated return to the ring against former WBO super lightweight champion Rolly Romero. While Garcia-Romero will headline the event, there’s plenty of action jammed in on the undercard with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Devin Haney will lock horns with Jose Ramirez, while Teofimo Lopez squares off against Arnold Barboza Jr. Interestingly, though, there seems to be some confusion about the venue tickets for the event for fans eager to watch the bout unfold live from Times Square. Here’s everything you need to know about the ticket sales before the event kicks off on Friday night.
Times Square Boxing Tickets: Why Are They Not On Sale?
There’s clearly excitement about the event among fans, but they are still grappling with the question: why aren’t tickets available for purchase? You see, the thing is, promoters and insiders have revealed that the event was never meant to be open to the public. If that sounds dystopian, you aren’t alone.
In reality, attendance for the event in Times Square seems to be limited to a select group of VIPs, celebrities, and invite-only guests. Your run-of-the-mill Joe, unfortunately, can’t buy a ticket to catch the event from the venue. “There was never an intention to sell tickets for the event, I believe,” Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn explained.
Previously, there were some renders for the event in the middle of Times Square, with a crowd surrounded by fans. Hearn dismissed earlier crowd renderings as unofficial, stating, “I think an AI or fan-run social media account may have generated those.” But now the real question is—why? Isn’t this essentially leaving a significant amount of gate revenue on the table?
AI has generated an image of how it thinks the event could look when we put a boxing ring in Times Square on May 2nd.
Ryan Garcia vs Rolly Romero
Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez
Teofimo Lopez vs Arnold Barboza Jr
Ring Magazine’s ‘#FatalFury: City of Wolves’ card in… pic.twitter.com/2P5OTcL73n
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) March 2, 2025
Apparently, the decision to have the event this way came right from the top. Ed Pereira, the event planner overseeing the entire shindig, said, “From the very get-go, it was never going to be a free-for-all where people could come see the fights [in person]. Security and safety were where we started. The safety of the public was paramount.”
The driving force behind this unique setup seems to be the architect of the Riyadh Season, Turki Alalshikh (chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority), who has given boxing its second wind since a sharp decline in recent years. Alalshikh, who often puts together high-visibility productions, is reportedly sacrificing a whopping $10 million in potential ticket sales to do this.
Eddie Hearn claimed, “I could never do this. You’re literally leaving somewhere between 5 and 10 million dollars on the floor.” But what does this mean for fans? How can they catch the action in Times Square?
How To Watch Ryan Garcia Vs. Rolly Romero: Date and Start Time
It’s clear now that you aren’t watching the fight in Times Square unless you are one of those VIPs, celebrities, and invite-only guests. If you are—kudos! But if you aren’t, it’s not all that bad, you can still watch the fight. To catch the action, DAZN, which is available globally, is offering a pay-per-view experience for $59.99 (US), £21.99 (UK/IRE), or $24.99 (rest of world).
And the good news is, DAZN is offering a Knockout Weekend Bundle, which also includes the upcoming Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull fight on May 3rd for $90 (US), £34.99 (UK), or €34.99 (Europe). The DAZN app is accessible on smart TVs, phones, tablets, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and web browsers.
The card features Ryan Garcia vs. Rolly Romero, Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez, Teofimo Lopez vs. Arnold Barboza Jr., and also Levale Whittington vs. Reito Tsutsumi. As for when the event will kick off, the first fight of the night will start at 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT, 11:00 PM BST). Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia and Romero’s ringwalks are expected to start around 10:30 PM ET (7:30 PM PT, 3:30 AM BST).
That said, even without ticket sales, fans can still catch the event live on DAZN. While some may be disappointed by the lack of in-person access, hosting it in Times Square adds a distinctive flair. Will you be tuning in Friday night?
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