On a night that saw ring girls replaced by impersonators of celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Hulk Hogan and Michael Jackson, a couple people wearing Elmo costumes and a drummer playing — standard sights and sounds in Times Square on a Friday night — Romero (17-2) ended up as the star of the show.

The road to a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch runs right through the heart of Times Square. When they fought last year, Garcia initially opposed bringing the match to New York, believing a bout between two California boxers belonged in the West.