WBA world welterweight champ Rolly Romero and former two division world champ Teofimo Lopez are set to battle on August 22nd in Las Vegas. And, on Thursday that kicked off the promotion with a press conference.
WBA Welterweight World Champion Rolly Romero and two-division world champion Teofimo Lopez came face to face Thursday during a press conference in Los Angeles to officially announce their world title clash. The fight is set for Saturday August 22nd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. And, the event will headline a PBC Pay-Per-View available on Prime Video.
And, the Romero-Lopez presser also featured the announcement of a landmark partnership between DAZN and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), bringing PBC's marquee fight nights to fans worldwide on DAZN.
Las Vegas native Rolando Romero, 17-2, 13 KOs, will make the first defense of the WBA welterweight title he won with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Ryan Garcia in the main event of the May 2025 Times Square card, promoted by Turki Alalshikh and The Ring in the heart of New York City.
Romero scored an early knockdown and outworked Garcia over 12 rounds, delivering the sharper, more effective performance to secure the biggest victory of his career.
Here is part of what Romero said Thursday,
“It’s been a hard time trying to make a fight, but we know that Teofimo is gonna fight anyone. So I’m thankful that he stepped up to the plate. “I needed the time off to focus on me. I’m just happy to be back with another big event and to be here at the announce of the PBC and DAZN deal. This is just one of so many great fights that are gonna come from it. “I feel pretty good right now.
We’re gonna have to see if I’m even better than I was against Ryan Garcia. I’ve missed boxing. I really don’t do this for anything other than the love of the sport. “A fight’s a fight, a sparring session is sparring. Everyone’s sparring each other. People get cracked. Now we’re doing it under the big lights for a belt. I feel like this fight gives me the opportunity to become a Hall of Famer. “Me and Teo aren’t friends, he’s my little brother. I’d rather go in there against him than anyone else.”
The 29-year-old, flamboyant Romero now looks to build on that career-defining win after previously coming up short in his first defense of the WBA junior welterweight title, when he suffered a TKO defeat to Mexico's Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz in the co-main event of Tim Tszyu's March 2024 pay-per-view clash with Sebastian Fundora.
Hear us discuss the fight more with insider Dan Rafael joining me on the "Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast" out Friday morning by clicking play below,
As for Lopez, 22-2, 13 KOs, he heads into this matchup after suffering a clear unanimous decision defeat to four-division champion Shakur Stevenson on another Turki Alalshikh/Ring Magazine PPV card back on January 31. The loss cost Lopez his WBO 140-pound title.
The circumstances surrounding his title opportunity are also unusual, but typical of the boxing organizations. Lopez has never competed at welterweight, is coming off a loss, and is nonetheless receiving an immediate WBO title shot at 147 lb. without first earning a victory against someone in the division.
“I feel great. It’s put up or shut up. We’re at a point in time in my career where everything is at stake. People want to know if this is the start of something new for me. I look forward to it. “I want to thank the champ for stepping up to the plate. I’m looking forward to becoming a three-division world champion at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 22.
“We know each other enough to know what triggers us. We know secrets possibly that people don’t know. This is gonna be a big fight for the next era of boxing. “I believe that I haven’t even touched the surface of what I’ve got to give to this sport. When I face the champion I’ll be 29. I’ve got a lot of good prominent years left. I’m gonna answer all the questions on August 22.”
One positive is the immediacy of this fight being officially announced in early July and the main event will be six weeks from now.
