Rolly Romero picked up the big upset in Times Square, New York on May 2, this when he dropped and decisioned 12/1 betting favourite Ryan Garcia to get his hands on the vacant WBA ‘regular’ title at 147 pounds. And now, 29 year old Romero, who advanced to 17-2(13) with the big upset win over “KingRy,” wants to face a living legend in his first title defence.
Rolly wants Pacquiao—legendary name or soft touch?
Manny Pacquiao is, as we have read and heard, all set to challenge WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios, this on July 19th in Las Vegas. But Romero says he would fight Pac-Man whatever the result of the July fight against Barrios is.
“Rolly versus Pacquiao,” Romero said in an interview with Sean Zittel. “No matter if he beats Barrios it’s still Rolly versus Pacquiao. How many losses does Pacquiao have? Oh, that’s another thing, Pacquiao’s another one that don’t give a fk about losses and everyone keeps tuning in for him right? All that undefeated st don’t mean s**t if you’re not fighting nobody.”
Pacquiao’s comeback—and Romero’s questionable logic
Most people are of the opinion that 46 year old Pacquiao should not be coming back at all at his age, or that it certainly should not be for more than one ‘final’ fight, and as Pacquiao says himself, a shot at going out on the back of making history. But what if Pacquiao defeats Barrios? Could the all-time great then fight Romero as well? Pretty much nothing can be ruled out these days, not in the sport of boxing, anyway.
But shouldn’t Romero be calling out a ranked welterweight contender, someone his own age? The Romero-Garcia fight was far from a great action affair, but a rematch would likely generate some interest. But would a Romero-Pacquiao fight prove at all attractive to the paying fans?
Pacquiao, as we know, has not boxed since back in 2021, when he lost a fairly wide decision in a fight with Yordenis Ugas. Has Manny even seen Rolly Romero fight?
