The heated press conference exposed years of personal history as Romero answered accusations of betrayal before their August 22 showdown in Las Vegas
Teofimo Lopez Sr. accused Rolando “Rolly” Romero of betraying his family’s trust during a fiery press conference Thursday ahead of Romero’s August 22 WBA welterweight title defense. Romero denied the accusations and insisted Teofimo Lopez Jr. remains “my little brother” despite their looming championship fight.
“You was never our friend,” Teofimo Sr. said to Rolly. “Nobody knew who the [expletive] you was. And you came and started cloud chasing on my son.”
Lopez Sr. continued, claiming Romero stopped speaking to the family after joining Gervonta Davis’ camp.
“You never even talked to us again. That’s why I hit you in the chest the last time I seen you. You’re a fake.”
Rolly repeatedly tried to interrupt, telling Lopez Sr. to let him speak before eventually responding with a much calmer tone.
“Junior, you know I have so much love for you,” Rolly said before later adding, “Me and Teo ain’t friends. He’s my little brother.”
The verbal exchange highlighted the personal history between the two camps, which includes years of sparring sessions and a relationship that both sides now view very differently.
Despite the heated back-and-forth, both fighters acknowledged the rivalry would ultimately be settled in the ring. Teofimo Jr. said the time had come for them to face each other, while Rolly thanked Lopez and his father for accepting the fight after months of searching for an opponent.
The winner of the August 22 bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will leave with the WBA welterweight title, while Teofimo will also have the chance to become a three-division world champion.
