After a year lay-off, an overly cautious Haney, who was dropped three times by Garcia last year, never really got going in a below-par showing.
He circled around the ring, landing the occasional lead left hook, but neglected his jab as single shots did enough to edge the rounds.
Defensively, it was a sound performance by Haney, largely because gun-shy Ramirez did so little.
The judges scored it 119-109, 119-109 and 118-110.
The bout was best summed up by Scotland’s former undisputed light-welterweight world champion Josh Taylor, who said on social media that Haney looked “terrified” and “frantic”.
Haney-Ramirez sapped the ‘Big Apple’ of its energy and vibe but the early drama in the headline bout lifted the mood.
Romero landed a stinging double left hook to floor Garcia. It was a flush and hurtful punch which he later followed with a clubbing right before Garcia regained his senses.
With both fighters unwilling to over-commit, Romero edged the rounds with better use of the jab, coupled with Garcia’s tentativeness.
“Get busy,” trainer Derrick James pleaded with Garcia before the championship rounds.
The pep talk had no impact as Romero landed a combination to head and body in the 11th. Haney, now ringside, was left shaking his head at the final bell.
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