Rolando “Rolly” Romero and his replacement opponent Ismael Barroso met on Thursday at the final press conference to talk about their fight for the vacant WBA light welterweight title shot Saturday night.
Rolly (14-1, 12 KOs) had planned on fighting Alberto Puello for his WBA 140-lb title, but he tested positive for a banned drug and was pulled from the card.
Luckily for Rolly, #1 WBA Barroso was willing to step up to the plate to face him for the now vacant title. For Rolly, this is as good as it gets.
During the press conference, Rolly, 27, spent a lot of time talking about wanting a rematch with Gervonta Davis, and assuming that he’s going to win on Saturday night aagainst Barroso.
You never know. Barroso can punch, and we’ve seen Rolly struggle with punchers before even before he fought Tank. Many boxing fans thought Rolly deserved a loss to Jackson Marinez in 2020, and that guy doesn’t possess the power of Barroso.
He’s in a great position to win a world title after sitting out of the ring for twelve months after losing to WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in May 2022.
If Rolly can’t beat the 40-year-old Barroso, it’s safe to say that he’ll never win a world title. That doesn’t mean Rolly can’t make good money talking his way into fights, as he did for his match against Tank.
Rolly vs. Barroso event will be shown live on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT this Saturday, May 13th at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Undercard:
Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez
Batyr Akhmedov v. Kenneth Sims Jr.
Rolando Romero
“I think Barroso is a better fighter than Alberto Puello because he can crack. Any time you’re in a fight with a puncher, you know it’s going to be difficult.
“I’m not underestimating him. I know he can hit, and he’s a little tricky. He throws a good straight left that comes out of nowhere that he’s been getting guys with. So I’m not underestimating him.
“Everyone can expect to see ‘Rolly’ with the world title around his waist Saturday night.”
“It needs to happen,” said Rolly to Fighthype when asked about a rematch between him and Gervonta Davis. “I’m trying to figure out who Gervonta is going to fight next.
“There might be [Isaac] Cruz. I think that would be the second-best option behind me. We don’t know what he’s going to do next. Like I said, the most entertaining option is going to be Rolly.
“He already had a belt at 140. Why wouldn’t he fight at 140?” Rolando said about the likelihood of Gervonta coming up to 140 to fight him in a rematch.
“I’m going to say it like this. We’re going to find a way to make that s**t happen. The cut to 135? I passed out twice the night before. I was f***d up. I thought I was blacked out drunk.
“Every cuts the same until the last five to ten pounds. There’s a big difference between losing five pounds and ten pounds. There’s a big difference between losing 20 lbs and 15 lbs.
“On the front end, it doesn’t sound like a lot. We don’t lose five lbs. We lose 30 lbs. 20 lbs. It depends on where you’re at. It’s not like you lose five lbs. You guys are going to have to find out and see. It’s going to be a fun one,” Rolly said about his rematch with Tank Davis.
Ismael Barroso
“I’m churning with the same intensity that I had ten years ago. You’re going to see that hunger and power in the ring. I’m bringing my best.
“I’m the number one contender, and I got the opportunity that I deserve.”
