Via Vince D’Writer: Despite never having competed in the 140-pound weight class, boxer Rolando “Rolly” Romero somehow overtook Gary Antuanne Russell and Ismael Barroso as he prepared to take on WBA ultra-lightweight champion Alberto Puello (21-0, 10 KOs) in April, at a location yet to be determined.
Back in May 2022, the WBA’s sanctioning body ordered undisputed ultralightweight champion Josh Taylor to take a mandatory defense against Alberto Puello. When Taylor did not send an official response in time, the WBA decided to strip Taylor of the title.
Due to the sanctioning agency’s decision, Alberto Puello is scheduled to clash with Batyr Akhmedov in August for the vacant 140-pound WBA belt. The match was an exciting, action-packed 12-round battle, with one referee giving the match a score of 115-113 in Akhmedov’s favor, but that score was dismissed by the other two referees, both of gave the test a score of 117-111 in favor of Akhmedov. Alberto Puello.
In the original deal, winner Puello-Akhmedov had to fight Ismael Barroso (24-3, 22 KOs) within ninety days of winning the title. During the WBA’s annual general meeting in December, the sanctioning body changed its mind as negotiations began to circulate regarding Puello’s confrontation with Gary Antuanne Russell.
Now, the scenario has been turned again as Alberto Puello prepares to defend his title against Rolly Romero. The challenger has never fought in the weight class, but he will enter the title fight with seventh place in the WBA.
Romero’s ratings and title chances are both generous, due to the fact that while Romero was in the running for the title, WBA number six contender Gary Antuanne Russell (16-0, 16 KOs) and number one contender Ismael Barroso will both be on the sidelines waiting for their chance.
The last time Rolly Romero competed inside the circle of squares was in May 2022 on pay-per-view, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, when he faced the WBA champion ( regular) 135-pound Gervonta “Tank” Davis class. Entering the sixth round, Romero was leading by one of three points when Davis abruptly ended the game with a large counter-attacking left hand.
Despite the knockout loss, Romero’s stock appears to be rising. Some fighting fans noticed how Romero moved forward and determined the pace of the match against Tank Davis. That’s what some fans thought they were watching, but what they actually witnessed was Davis allowing Romero to advance because he was setting a trap, and predictably Romero took the bait at sixth inning.
Rolando “Rolly” Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) is a charismatic boxer with good strength, but he has some glaring flaws. One of his flaws was exposed earlier this week when a fencing video of Romero being knocked out by potential client J’Hon Ingram (3-0.3 KOs) was leaked to the public.
The irony of the video is that J’Hon Ingram knocked Rolly Romero down using the same punch Gervonta Davis landed to stop Romero in their grudge match. Regarding the decision to put Puello against Romero, the question is, is he really worthy of the title?
Seriously, how can a boxer who just lost at lightweight be instantly turned into a 7th ultralightweight? One final question that needs to be answered is how can the sanctioning body justify ignoring Gary Antuanne Russell and Ismael Barroso in order to give a man about to lose in a lower weight class the title fight. gender?
