Fatal Fury - An Early Preview
By: Johsua JaramilloContinuing the streak of stacked cards where Turki Al-Sheikh inevitably and embarrassingly makes himself the center of attention, ‘Fatal Fury’ seeks to make Times Square the next stage of “his excellency’s” ongoing circus.
Rather than the state-sponsored sportswashing spectacle of Riyadh Season, Turki Al-Sheikh seeks to launch his own promotional detail under the historical ‘Ring Magazine’ banner. Having purchased it (and admittedly rescued it from a frankly squalid state) from Golden Boy in 2024, Turki’s latest venture seeks to take his ‘greatest show’ worldwide.
Ahead of planned shows in places such as the former Alcatraz prison, this card brings the looney bin to the mainland, in the heart of Time Square.
Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney are names that, through varying levels of bad circumstances, the people around them, and their own doing, have failed to reach their full star potential. The former two have endured a variety of mental health woes, leading to continued degrading displays online and in the ring. The latter forever cast as a heel as a result of his boisterous father and personal inability to grapple with defeat.
This framing doesn’t tell the whole story, of course.
Ryan Garcia would have been much better served receiving proper help for his demons instead of being sent hurtling into a megafight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. While the content of said outbursts and his conduct in regards to performance enhancing substances and seemingly purposely missing weight are truly unacceptable, some compassion must be had considering the failure of his team to properly help their man.
Teofimo Lopez is as much a victim of his own success as his ego. He’s been on a downward slope in regards to displays in the squared circle following his parting ways with Joey Gamache, the architect of his crowning victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko. His inconsistency in the ring and the absence of a voice in his team, aside from his father, have not been kind to him.
Devin Haney simply was not born with power. For the average fan, that seems to be enough to write him off. Despite this, his technical ability and will to succeed had brought him great professional success up until his fight with Ryan Garcia. Running into a cheater, but also a scathing reminder of his own limitations, appears to have fueled a heel turn that, while interesting, will only continue to alienate fans.
It is in their downfalls and flaws that they reach Times Square, in what can be considered far from a stable state, all three get to give a doting fanbase an alluring display of not just the sweet science, but a true glimpse into what is often obscured from the fans.
It’s ugly, it’s violent, and as talented as the three headliners are, their flaws can make for a competitive fight with even the least qualified opponents.
Let’s look at those opponents.
Ryan Garcia squares off against Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero. ‘Rolly’ is either best known for getting sent face first into the canvas by Gervonta Davis or for needing a dubious call to win against an ancient Ismael Barroso. While their matches with their shared opponent, Gervonta Davis, largely went the same way, the gulf of skill between the two is immeasurable. It’s unlikely that Garcia has much difficulty dispatching the crude and unrefined Romero barring a severe lapse in focus.
Teofimo Lopez faces off against Arnold Barboza Jr. Barboza languished on undercards, bouncing between promotions. His matchmaking so far seemingly reveals that he hasn’t had his record protected, despite his relative obscurity compared to his opponent. A man who, while not the most exemplary boxer, simply refuses to lose. The ceiling that Teofimo Lopez has shown so far should indicate no reason to lose, but as has been seen more often than not, Lopez has a bad habit of underperforming against far worse opposition than Barboza. Expect that, in combination with Lopez having spent almost a year out of the ring, to make for a far more competitive encounter than is billed.
Devin Haney vs Jose Ramirez is being mentioned last, as it's the least enticing matchup on this card. Unless Haney’s confidence is well and truly shot to bits, expect an ugly decision win. Ramirez has a bad habit of spontaneously coasting and being content to just outright lose, which will in hand give Haney plenty of room to maneuver [Sh6] and do what he does best.
‘Fatal Fury’ is a card that finds its home in defying expectations. Three matchups between bitter rivals that, should everything go as expected, should not be that interesting.
Through the flaws of the marquee names, the unorthodox location, and overall alien presence in the sport, Turki Al-Sheikh’s first venture outside of Riyadh Season could very much, promotional theatrics aside, give us a true insight into what awaits fans going forward.
