They say styles make fights in boxing, but it’s fully possible that Rolando “Rolly” Romero is simply better than Ryan Garcia at this point in their respective careers. Both fighters have one thing in common: they got knocked out by Gervonta “Tank” Davis. But they responded in different ways, with Garcia succumbing to adversity by way of a one-year suspension and a loss to Romero.
Romero had his own adversity to deal with, getting stopped by Isaac Cruz and losing the WBA super lightweight belt he had just earned one fight before. But he responsed with convincing wins over Manuel Jaimes and Garcia, winning the WBA (Regular) welterweight title by beating the latter. As if things couldn’t get any better at the moment, Romero got fantastic news on Friday. Jaron “Boots” Ennis has vacated his title as he moves up to 154 pounds, making Romero the “full” WBA welterweight champion.
Rolando Romero elevated to WBA full welterweight champion
What does this mean for Romero? In the short-term, nothing really changes. His win over Garcia was set to get him bigger fights if he wanted them. Now, he has the chance to at least unify belts if he can find a negotiating partner.
Brian Norman Jr. is the current WBO champion, with a fight against Devin Haney looming in November. Mario Barrios, the WBC champion, is fresh off of a draw against Manny Pacquiao and may be the most vulnerable. The IBF title is currently vacant following Ennis’ move-up, and that could be a belt Romero eyes for his next fight if possible.
There’s no doubt Romero has a lot more options now than he did before the Garcia win. Whether he actually wants the big fights right now is another question, though, as Romero seems to want to take time to himself for now.
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