By Matt Lieberman: Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero says he wants Ryan Garcia if he successfully captures the vacant WBA light welterweight title in his headliner against Ismael Barroso on Showtime at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As most know, Ryan Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) is coming off a body shot knockout against Gervonta Davis. His promoters at Golden Boy will likely want to ease him into fighting at 140 by giving him a confidence booster opponent with little power.
It would be foolish for Golden Boy to match the still novice-level Ryan Garcia against a fighter with Rolly’s power. There are rumors that Rolly gave Ryan pure hell during a sparring session they had a while back.
If true, that’s another reason why Golden Boy must keep Ryan away from the hard-hitting Rolando, even though it’s a fight that would bring in a lot of money with the least amount of risk compared to if he mixed it with one of the more talented killers in the 140-lb division.
“There’s the Ryan Garcia fight,” said Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to the boxing media on Thursday for his final press conference for his fight this Saturday against Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA light welterweight title.
“I think everybody’s asking for me vs. Ryan right now, especially at 140,” Rolly continued.
“We’re both at 140 now, and I think that’s the fight. That’s a massive fight, and boxing needs that fight. It has a long buildup, a long, long buildup.”
Whether Golden Boy pulls the trigger on the Rolly fight depends on how much of a rush Ryan is in cashing out before retirement. Ryan is on record for saying he wants to retire by age 26. He’s 24 now, so it probably doesn’t make much difference if he hangs up his gloves a little earlier than planned.
Ryan already has a reported net worth of $20 million, and that was before scooping up $15 million for his last fight against Gervonta Davis on April 22. At this point, Ryan’s fortune is more likely in the $40 million+ range, and fighting Rolly would see it increase substantially.
Rolly (14-1, 12 KOs) has luck on his side, with him given a golden opportunity to battle for a world title in his first contest at 140 against a fighter that appears 20 years his senior in Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs). This is as good as it gets for Rolly.
Of course, Barroso’s aged appearance is deceiving because he still possesses enormous power and is dangerous with either hand, particularly for a fighter recently knocked out by his sparring partner.
