WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero says his friendship with Teofimo Lopez will have no bearing on their upcoming world title clash on Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Romero, 17-2 with 13 knockouts, will make his title defense against fellow Las Vegas fighter Lopez, who enters the bout with a 22-2 record and 13 knockouts. The 12-round main event will headline a PBC pay-per-view available on DAZN and Amazon Prime Video, with the broadcast scheduled for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Although Romero and Lopez have known each other for years and remain friends outside the ring, the champion insists that their relationship will disappear once the opening bell sounds.
“Yeah we’re friends and we know each other’s families, but none of that matters on August 22. I’m looking to be a Hall of Famer, just like Teofimo is. The only way to do that is to go through each other!”
Romero has already built an impressive résumé during his career. The Las Vegas native has captured world titles in three weight classes, including the WBA junior-welterweight championship and the WBA interim lightweight title.
He enters the Lopez fight after one of the biggest victories of his career, defeating Ryan Garcia by unanimous decision to capture the welterweight championship. Romero will now look to add another significant win to his résumé against a former two-division world champion.
The rivalry with Lopez is particularly intriguing because the two fighters have crossed paths numerous times throughout their careers. They have shared sparring sessions and maintained a friendly relationship, but Romero believes professional boxing demands that friendships take a back seat when two fighters have championship ambitions.
“That’s what’s wrong with boxing nowadays. Everybody wants to be friends, but they’re scared to fight each other and instead forget why we all got into this sport to begin with. That’s to become a legend and one of the best of our generation.”
For Romero, the upcoming fight represents more than simply defending his championship. A victory over Lopez would strengthen his claim as one of the leading fighters of his generation and bring him another step closer to his goal of eventually earning a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Lopez, meanwhile, will be looking to reclaim a world championship and add another major name to his résumé. With both fighters determined to establish themselves among boxing's elite, their long-standing friendship is unlikely to matter once they share the ring.
Undercard Action
Undefeated middleweight Yoenli Hernandez will face Argentina's Francisco Daniel Veron in the 10-round co-main event.
The card will also feature interim WBA junior featherweight champion Victor Santillan against Antonio Russell, while super lightweight Carlos Utria will make his U.S. debut against Israel Mercado in another 10-round contest.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Takeover Promotions.
