Rolly Romero, Teofimo Lopez Defend WBA Title Fight

Both champions rejected criticism over Lopez receiving an immediate welterweight title shot after his loss to Shakur Stevenson.

Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez have responded to criticism surrounding their August 22 fight for the WBA welterweight title. Romero defended pursuing the biggest available opponent, while Lopez insisted one defeat was no reason to delay another world title opportunity.

After spending the past year pursuing Ryan Garcia, Manny Pacquiao, Conor Benn and Devin Haney, those negotiations unraveled, leaving Romero to target Lopez. That decision drew criticism from fans who argued top-ranked contenders deserved the opportunity first.

“I want to do a big fight. I wanted to do a big fight. Forget about money. I don’t box for money,” Romero told the Mr. Verzace podcast. “I’ve never boxed for money. I don’t care about money. Money, one day I’ll have a billion dollars, one day I’ll have nothing. It doesn’t matter. It makes no difference to me. I live the same life. You don’t get the same dopamine hit fighting somebody less than you do somebody that’s accomplished so much more. On top of that, I just like doing big fights. On top of that, we owe it to the boxing fans. All these guys fight nobody. They protect their ‘0.’ That’s the reason boxing is dying. When people try to make the biggest fights happen, boxing is going to keep growing.”

Teofimo rejected suggestions that his loss to Stevenson meant he needed a warm-up bout before challenging for a title.

“It’s just a fighter mentality that I’ve carried since I put my first pair of boxing gloves on. Why wait? Why do these tune-ups and setups when you’ve already done so much in your career?” Lopez said. “Just because of one bump on the road doesn’t stop you from continuing your journey and what you’re trying to aim for, and that’s greatness. Rolly is a tough competitor, a world champion at welterweight, and I felt like it was only right.”