It’s slated to be a barnburner between Ryan Garcia and Rolando Romero for as long as it lasts when they meet in a welterweight matchup Friday in Times Square on DAZN PPV.

Oscar De La Hoya, Hall of Fame fighter and Golden Boy Promotions boss, agrees with Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) that Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) is tailor-made for a knockout and that The Ring card’s main event matchup could be over in a New York minute.

“I really do think that Ryan vs. Rolly is going to be short and sweet,” De La Hoya said during Garcia’s media workout. “Ryan is coming back after a layoff, and he’s anxious and ready and wants to prove to the world he hasn’t skipped a beat. I saw Rolly the other day, and he’s looking in beast mode. It’s a dangerous fight if you keep your head straight. One thing about Ryan is that he has fast reflexes. He is a fighter that is out to prove something. Ryan is going to go out there and take care of business, but make it one of the most exciting short fights ever.”

Romero told The Ring that he’s going to knock Garcia out cold.

The over/under on the total rounds the fight is projected to last is listed at 6.5, according to DraftKings. Garcia is a minus-900 betting favorite,and Romero is a plus-550 underdog.

The fight will mark Garcia’s first since serving a one-year suspension for testing for the performance enhancing drug Ostarine during a 2024 fight against Devin Haney, a three-knockdown performance that was originally ruled a majority decision win for Garcia and later turned into a no-contest.

“I strongly feel Ryan is back with a vengeance. His demeanor is different,” said De La Hoya. “All eyes are going to be on boxing and on Ryan Garcia and all the other fighters on May 2. That’s a plus for the sport … May 2 couldn’t happen without Ryan Garcia. Ryan Garcia is the sport of boxing.”

De La Hoya went on to compare the Garcia-Romero clash to the one he had against Ricardo Mayorga in 2006, which resulted in a sixth-round stoppage win for the “Golden Boy.”

“Mayorga was a strong fighter and talker. He could knock you out with any punch,” said De La Hoya. “Ryan has to keep his cool, be calm and collected, wait for the opportunity and the openings. Ryan is a much taller fighter and he’s more skilled than Rolly. The punches that are going to be coming at Ryan are going to be wide and strong and fast, but I think Ryan is the type of fighter who instinctively can overcome Rolly and eventually knock him out.”