Via Alex Fesl: Sometimes, I feel like boxing fans forget that boxing has to be entertaining and engaging. You will often hear boxing fans complain that certain fighters are boring and that their fights make them sleepy. Usually, all-time greats like Floyd Mayweather Jr, Andre Ward and Wladimir Klitschko are mocked by fighting fans for their defensive style. Current boxers like Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson have also been criticized for their “safety first” sweet science approach.
Contrary to the defense-oriented fighter mentioned earlier, Rolando “Rolly” Romero 14-1 (12 KOs) is the exact opposite. His style is raw and raw. He charged with reckless aggression to throw the wild hayworkers. He also talks about himself as if he’s the greatest boxer of all time, but he only has 14 wins to count. With Romero, there was never a dull moment, but fighting fans had mixed opinions about him. Some hate him and want to see him knocked down, and some appreciate the entertainment value he brings. I believe we need more characters like Rolly Romero to contrast the abundance of highly skilled fighters and at the same time bring much-needed joy to boxing.
One fighter that Romero reminds me of is Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga. Mayorga, like Romero, lacked technical ability but made up for his shortcomings with relentless aggression and an unorthodox style. Mayorga is also known for her humorous antics during press conferences that often lead to scuffles with opponents. Mayorga staged notable fights against Vernon Forrest, Cory Spinks, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. While it’s still early in Romero’s career to compare him to the famous Mayorga, Romero certainly brings the same energy and excitement as Mayorga did in and out of the ring.
Still, it has to be said at least that this week has been an interesting week for Romero. Earlier in the week, in a video that went viral on social media, Romero was knocked down by potential rival J’Hon Ingram during a recent practice session. Fans quickly jumped on the bandwagon to rolly the clown for being knocked down by the same punch that Gervonta “Tank” Davis knocked Romero out of in their title match last summer.
While it can be amusing to see a loud-mouthed Romero being abandoned by an unidentified subject, it needs to be said that it was just a talk show. Fighters are eliminated in sparring. It happens with the best. At the same time, it is common boxing etiquette not to expose such things to the public for various reasons. “What happens in scrims, stays in wits,” you’ll hear from old-school coaches.
Based on that clip, we can’t really say anything other than that Rolly was caught by Ingram with a good tackle. We don’t know what happened leading up to that punch or after. At the end of the day, the champions are not crowned in the confrontations. The boxers won the championship in the ring on the night of the fight.
Over the weekend, we also received news that Romero would be up against Alberto Puello 21-0 (10 KOs) for the 140 lb WBA title. This is the best fight possible for both fighters. Puello will be fighting a famous boxer so he can be exposed to more fans. Likewise, Romero will be looking to redeem himself after his knockout loss to Tank Davis last year. At the same time, this will be an interesting clash of styles. Romero hits hard looking for a knockdown with every punch, and Puello is a highly skilled counter puncher that deals most of the damage from the outside. Classic boxer vs slugger match.
With that said, I’m looking forward to Rolly Romero’s game against Puello and his matches after that. He brings energy to the sometimes uninteresting world of boxing. He can be loud and lack skill, but he makes up for that with entertainment value and a willingness to knock out.
Let me know in the comments what you think about Rolly Romero. Do you love him, hate him, or don’t care about him? Do you think Romero is the next Mayorga? Do you think the Rolly makes any noise in the stacked 140 lb split?
