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Add FightsATW on GoogleIt’s fight week in Las Vegas, Nevada, as WBA welterweight champion Rolando ‘Rolly” Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) faces former two-division lineal champion Teofimo Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs), live on DAZN & Prime Video PPV. Although the betting odds aren’t in his favor and he isn’t attracting mainstream media outlets for interviews, if I had to guess, Romero’s perfectly fine with that. He’ll just handle things as he always does: “The Rolly Way.”
Romero’s rise in boxing came quietly but organically, and although it took years for the rest of the boxing fans to catch up on who he is, those in Las Vegas and Southern California had already known of Romero since turning pro in 2016.
For his first seven fights, he fought mostly in Las Vegas and once in Laredo, Texas, but the buzz was that a young fighter of Cuban descent was knocking people out in every one of them. Then in 2018, a viral sparring session between Romero and Ryan Garcia leaked online, showing Rolly getting the best of Garcia. This was around the time Garcia was on the rise, so although it would become a bigger deal later, the hardcore fans made a mental note after seeing the footage.
During this time, my friend in Las Vegas told me about Romero and said he was a fighter to watch on the come-up. So, with his March 2019 fight at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, I decided to make the 90-minute drive north to see what the buzz was about.
That night, Romero knocked out Nicolas Velazquez, and the crowd’s reaction gave me a hint that something about Romero was different, even though his style was basic and relied solely on his power. After the fight, Romero was surrounded by fans who wanted pictures and autographs. Although this is a common occurrence after fights, this felt different, and what followed was the story of ‘Rolly’ Romero.
Romero would capture the interim WBA lightweight title in 2020. As Romero continued to earn wins, his popularity grew. This wasn’t because of a social media campaign but because he showed up at other boxing events and made time for the people. I witnessed it firsthand on several occasions when he would be stuck in the concession stand area, making time for fans and media alike who wanted a minute of his time. People respect that, and when you are genuine about it, they will follow you to the end.
The crossover moment for Romero came when he fought Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in May 2022. Romero suffered a vicious knockout defeat, but given Davis’ popularity, he quickly gained fans worldwide, even if it came on the heels of a viral knockout. While most would think that a loss like that would ruin a career, it in fact raised Romero’s profile, and he gained even more fans. The crowds surrounding Romero at events grew larger, and a year later, he got an opportunity for redemption. Not in the form of a rematch with Davis, but a WBA world title opportunity at 140.
Although it was a very controversial stoppage, Romero would become the WBA super lightweight champion by defeating Ismael Barroso. Romero would suffer another stoppage defeat 10 months later to Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, but did that affect his fan base? Absolutely not, and Romero would return six months later to score a unanimous decision over Manuel Jaimes. Then, in May 2025, Romero faced Ryan Garcia in Times Square, New York, and, with trainer Ismael Salas, scored a career-defining unanimous decision win, making him the WBA welterweight champion.
Watching Romero’s career develop from seven fights to the present has been an interesting ride. Now Romero faces Lopez on Saturday, who’s been his on-again, off-again friend outside the ring. Although it’ll be 15 months since Romero beat Garcia, there’s no telling how he’ll look on fight night. Will it be the disciplined fighter who beat Garcia, or the reckless one who was stopped by Cruz and Davis? Regardless of which version of Romero we get, one thing is for sure. He’ll do it ‘The Rolly Way,’ and for his fans, that’s all they want to see.
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