Ryan Garcia looked to be a new man up on stage as he and Rolando Romero met face-to-face at a press conference in New York to promote their May 2 clash.

The duo will fight in the main event of a three-fight card which will be put on by Ring Magazine in association with SNK Games, the creators of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, later this spring in Times Square.

Garcia (24-1-1 NC, 20 KOs) hasn't been in the ring since his controversial unanimous decision win, which has since been overturned to a no-contest due to a failed drugs test, over Devin Haney last April in Brooklyn, New York.

A lot was made of Garcia's mental state in the run-up to his fight with Haney. The Californian drank and smoked throughout training camp and came into the bout overweight before dropping Haney three times en route to his points victory.

He was suspended for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission following his failed test, which was conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).

A rematch with Haney looks to be in the offing, but both men must first get through their bouts on May 2, with Garcia up against longtime rival Romero (16-2, 13 KOs), and Haney facing off with Jose Ramirez.

Garcia said at the presser today in NYC: "[Me and Rolly] sparred about eight years ago, it was rough sparring, he continued to use that to boost his career, but I don't have no bad blood with him. I'm here to do my job and set up the rematch [with Devin], I've got to be sharp because he's going to bring it.

"I want to be great, I have also wanted to fight the best fighters, as far as my problems outside the ring, I've always had those struggles, I want to show everybody that you can come back from anything.

"I admit my wrongs, I want to show I'm a true professional, I don't want anyone to take my actions of drinking and smoking before a fight and thinking that's the professional thing to do."

Romero rebuffed Garcia's suggestion that those sparring stories were used to 'chase clout'.

He added: "I mean, if I was clout chasing, he'd have had clout, but he didn't have any. It's just sparring, we're gonna see the real fight in the ring, it'll be one of the biggest fights in US history that's for sure.

"I said years ago me and him were going to fight at welterweight, I outgrew 140 and 135 long, long ago. I'm all muscle right now."