Rolando Romero said that “I became a better fighter” as result of his knokckout loss to Gervonta Davis last year.
Rolando Romero doesn’t view his fate against Gervonta Davis as a total loss.
Yes, the powerful Davis caught him with a big left hand and knocked him out in the sixth round of their 135-pound fight last May. That’s a matter of record.
At the same time, the fact he fought Davis on roughly even terms until the stoppage and the experience he gained left him with a positive outlook going into his fight with Ismael Barroso on Saturday night in Las Vegas (Showtime).
Romero will be fighting as a full-fledged 140-pounder for the first time. The vacant WBA title reportedly will be at stake.
“Gervonta Davis didn’t win that fight, I lost that fight,” Romero told Boxing Junkie. “I can say it like that. It was a reflection of a mistake I made more than him being great. Before that, the person being great was me.
“… Regardless, I’m forever grateful for that opportunity. I became smarter, I became a better fighter.”
The fight Saturday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is another significant opportunity.
Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) had been scheduled to challenge WBA beltholder Alberto Puello but Puello was pulled from the card after allegedly testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He reportedly was stripped of his title.
Barroso, a 40-year-old slugger from Venezuela, agreed to step in about three weeks before the fight.
Romero is perfectly happy fighting Barroso – particularly because the full title will be on the line – but he was outraged when he heard about the doping allegation of his original opponent.
“It’s just disgusting,” he said. “Testing positive for banned substances is f—ed up. Our health is at stake. It’s not like every other sport. Boxers die all the time. … I think anyone who gets caught with that should be permanently banned from boxing.”
The positive drug test opened a door for Barroso, who Romero believes could pose a stiffer challenge than Puello would have.
Puello is an athletic, slick technician. Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs) is known more for his punching power than his boxing ability, although he has solid skills. He was stopped by then 135-pound beltholder Anthony Crolla in 2016, his only title shot.
Both Puello and Barroso are left-handed, which will have made the transition easier for Romero in one sense.
Romero was asked about Barroso’s knockout record.
“Oh, he can punch,” he said. “He’s one of those guys with heavy hands. And he’s tricky, experienced. Is this a step down? I think it’s a step up. Puello can’t punch. This dude can punch.
“I can’t fall asleep on this guy. You can’t even compare the two on that.”
You also can’t compare Barroso to Romero’s previous opponent, Davis. That could bode well for him, as he can box and punch hard, too. The glory that eluded him against one of the best in the business last year could come one fight later.
“I’ll be excited to be champion,” he said, “and to put on a show for my hometown fans in Las Vegas. I’m just excited to be back.”
Fight Week: Rolando Romero and Janibek Alimkhanuly are scheduled to take part in separate title fights Saturday.
FIGHT WEEK
Rolando Romero, coming off his loss to Gervonta Davis, will return against Ismael Barroso at 140 pounds. Also, Janibek Alimkhanuly will defend his 160-pound title against Steven Butler.
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
At stake: WBA title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights; Batyr Akhmedov vs. Kenneth Sims Jr., junior welterweight
Prediction: Romero KO 8
Background: Romero is coming off the first loss of his career, a sixth-round knockout against Gervonta Davis in a 135-pound bout in May of last year. The 27-year-old from Las Vegas was competitive with the rising star until the stoppage, which helped ease the disappointment to some degree and didn’t damage his confidence. Also, he was having problems making the lightweight limit, which is why he’s making his debut as a full-fledged 140-pounder in this fight. Romero is a solid boxer but is known more for his physical strength and punching power, although we’ll see whether it translates to bigger fighters at junior welterweight. He had been scheduled to challenge WBA beltholder Alberto Puello but Puello was removed from the card after testing positive for a banned substance. He was replaced with the relatively obscure Barroso, a 40-year-old Venezuelan who once fought for a major title (a loss to 135-pounder Anthony Crolla in 2015). He lost back-to-back fights in 2018 but has won four fights since, including a fourth-round knockout of journeyman Fernando David Saucedo last August. Both Puello and Barroso are left-handed, which will have helped Romero in his preparation. The Romero-Barroso fight reportedly is for the full WBA title, an indication that Puello has been stripped.
JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY (13-0, 8 KOS)
VS. STEVEN BUTLER (32-3-1, 26 KOS)
When: Saturday, May 13
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Stockton Arena, Stockton, California
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Middleweights (160 pounds)
At stake: Alimkhanuly’s WBO title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Alimkhanuly 20-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jason Moloney vs. Vincent Astrolabio, bantamweights (for vacant WBO title); Robson Conceicao vs. Nicolas Polanco, junior lightweights
Prediction: Alimkhanuly UD
Background: Alimkhanuly was elevated from “interim” to full WBO 160-pound beltholder when Demetrius Andrade vacated the title last August and successfully defended once, outpointing Denzel Bentley in competitive fight in November. The one-time amateur world champion from Kazakhstan is a slick boxer with heavy hands. The decision against Bentley ended Alimkhanuly’s streak of knockouts at seven. Alimkhanuly was expected to defend against mandatory challenger Liam Smith but the Englishman was obligated to face Chris Eubank Jr. in a rematch first, which makes the fight on Saturday a voluntary defense. Butler’s career seemed to be in jeopardy when he was stopped by future titleholder Ryota Murata and journeyman Jose de Jesus Macias in back-to-back fights in 2019 and 2021. However, the Montrealer stepped away for a year and then reeled off four consecutive victories over second-tier opponents, including a unanimous decision over Joshua Conley in December. He’s a solid boxer with decent power, as his knockout ratio indicates. Butler is ranked No. 6 by the WBO.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
FRIDAY
Kim Clavel vs. Naomi Arellano Reyes, flyweights, Laval, Quebec (FITE)
SATURDAY
Joseph Maigwisya vs. Luca Antonio Cinqueoncie, light heavyweights, Offenback, Germany (DAZN)
John Riel Casimero vs. Fillipus Nghitumbwa, junior featherweights, Paranaque City, Philippines (FITE)
Alex Vargas vs. Mauro Godoy, junior welterweights, Huntington, New York (StarBoxing TV)
Jadier Harrera vs. Jeff Ofori, junior lightweights, Dubai, UAE (FITE)
KSI vs. Joe Fournier, cruiserweights, London (pay-per-view)
Fight Week: Rolando Romero and Janibek Alimkhanuly are scheduled to take part in separate title fights Saturday.
FIGHT WEEK
Rolando Romero, coming off his loss to Gervonta Davis, will return against Ismael Barroso at 140 pounds. Also, Janibek Alimkhanuly will defend his 160-pound title against Steven Butler.
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
TV/Stream: Showtime
Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
At stake: WBA title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights; Batyr Akhmedov vs. Kenneth Sims Jr., junior welterweight
Prediction: Romero KO 8
Background: Romero is coming off the first loss of his career, a sixth-round knockout against Gervonta Davis in a 135-pound bout in May of last year. The 27-year-old from Las Vegas was competitive with the rising star until the stoppage, which helped ease the disappointment to some degree and didn’t damage his confidence. Also, he was having problems making the lightweight limit, which is why he’s making his debut as a full-fledged 140-pounder in this fight. Romero is a solid boxer but is known more for his physical strength and punching power, although we’ll see whether it translates to bigger fighters at junior welterweight. He had been scheduled to challenge WBA beltholder Alberto Puello but Puello was removed from the card after testing positive for a banned substance. He was replaced with the relatively obscure Barroso, a 40-year-old Venezuelan who once fought for a major title (a loss to 135-pounder Anthony Crolla in 2015). He lost back-to-back fights in 2018 but has won four fights since, including a fourth-round knockout of journeyman Fernando David Saucedo last August. Both Puello and Barroso are left-handed, which will have helped Romero in his preparation. The Romero-Barroso fight reportedly is for the full WBA title, an indication that Puello has been stripped.
JANIBEK ALIMKHANULY (13-0, 8 KOS)
VS. STEVEN BUTLER (32-3-1, 26 KOS)
When: Saturday, May 13
Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Stockton Arena, Stockton, California
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Middleweights (160 pounds)
At stake: Alimkhanuly’s WBO title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: Alimkhanuly 20-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Also on the card: Jason Moloney vs. Vincent Astrolabio, bantamweights (for vacant WBO title); Robson Conceicao vs. Nicolas Polanco, junior lightweights
Prediction: Alimkhanuly UD
Background: Alimkhanuly was elevated from “interim” to full WBO 160-pound beltholder when Demetrius Andrade vacated the title last August and successfully defended once, outpointing Denzel Bentley in competitive fight in November. The one-time amateur world champion from Kazakhstan is a slick boxer with heavy hands. The decision against Bentley ended Alimkhanuly’s streak of knockouts at seven. Alimkhanuly was expected to defend against mandatory challenger Liam Smith but the Englishman was obligated to face Chris Eubank Jr. in a rematch first, which makes the fight on Saturday a voluntary defense. Butler’s career seemed to be in jeopardy when he was stopped by future titleholder Ryota Murata and journeyman Jose de Jesus Macias in back-to-back fights in 2019 and 2021. However, the Montrealer stepped away for a year and then reeled off four consecutive victories over second-tier opponents, including a unanimous decision over Joshua Conley in December. He’s a solid boxer with decent power, as his knockout ratio indicates. Butler is ranked No. 6 by the WBO.
ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK
FRIDAY
Kim Clavel vs. Naomi Arellano Reyes, flyweights, Laval, Quebec (FITE)
SATURDAY
Joseph Maigwisya vs. Luca Antonio Cinqueoncie, light heavyweights, Offenback, Germany (DAZN)
John Riel Casimero vs. Fillipus Nghitumbwa, junior featherweights, Paranaque City, Philippines (FITE)
Alex Vargas vs. Mauro Godoy, junior welterweights, Huntington, New York (StarBoxing TV)
Jadier Harrera vs. Jeff Ofori, junior lightweights, Dubai, UAE (FITE)
KSI vs. Joe Fournier, cruiserweights, London (pay-per-view)
Good, bad, worse: Gervonta Davis must now face next-level opponents.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Are there any doubters still out there?
Gervonta Davis’ critics will point to his resume and say he still hasn’t taken down an elite fighter, at least not one his size. The fact is he has strong record, with victories over Jose Pedraza, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz and now Rolando Romero after his one-punch knockout Saturday night in Brookly, New York.
He stopped all but one of those fighters, Cruz.
They’ll say, “Hey, Tank was barely able to outpoint Cruz in his previous fight.” C’mon, the guy fought a young, relentless beast with one arm and still pulled out a victory. That’s what champions do.
And they’ll point out that Romero was a relatively inexperienced opponent with no experience fighting on a large stage or against anyone near Davis’ ability.
That’s true, Romero did take an enormous step up in opposition. Still, he gave a strong performance until one of the biggest punchers among active fighters landed the enormous left hand that stopped him and sent the pro-Davis crowd into a tizzy. That’s what Davis does; he knocks out good opponents.
Now he must do the same against next-level foes.
Yes, it’s time for Davis to take on the cream of the 135-pound crop no matter what that takes. The winner of the June 5 fight between unified champion George Kambosos and Devin Haney is Tank’s ideal test. And Ryan Garcia and Vasiliy Lomachenko would be viable options.
If Davis fights anyone inferior to those four potential opponents in his next fight, it will only provide fodder for critics who believe he has been protected Mayweather Promotions. In other words, it wouldn’t be a step forward for him. And that’s not beneficial to a hot young fighter who wants to continue to build on his momentum.
Davis is a special all-around fighter. He has to fight other special fighters to prove how great he truly is. And the time is now.
BAD
Rolando Romero looks as if he didn’t know what hit him on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
No, it wasn’t a good night for Romero.
He was competitive against a heavy favorite for five-plus rounds, which is noteworthy. However, the unfortunate bottom line is that he was the victim of a brutal sixth-round knockout, which is bad any way you look at it.
He’s no longer unbeaten, which is never easy on a fighter. And, more important, he’ll have to put in some arduous work if he hopes to become an elite boxer and fight for a major 135-pound championship one day.
There is reason for optimism. He boxed well against his pound-for-pound opponent until his ignominious demise, as both he and his trainer pointed out after the fight.
Romero is known for his punching power but he demonstrated that he has an all-around skill set, which is how he was able to frustrate Davis for most of the short fight.
That’s remarkable given his relative lack of experience. He reportedly had a total of 49 amateur and professional fights under his belt when he stepped into the ring to face Davis. That’s a low number for a fighter taking part in a pay-per-view main event.
The fact he progressed so quickly speaks to both his God-given ability – he’s a natural – and his work ethic.
Sometimes it’s difficult to bounce back from such a devastating setback. However, if he can put the disappointment behind him and retain his confidence, Romero could still have a bright future.
The new, more flat-footed version of Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) has defeated Ramon Alvarez, Greg Vendetti, Thomas LaManna and Gary O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs) in his last four fights, the last victory coming by an eighth-round TKO on the Davis-Romero card.
Obviously, the Cuban master can still fight at 39 years old.
However, fighting second-tier opponents is the equivalent of spinning your wheels. At his age, Lara can’t afford to waste any more time.
And the thought of Lara failing to get another shot at a world title – this time at 160 pounds – is heartbreaking. If any fighter in the twilight of his career has earned that right, it’s the former 154-pound champion.
Remember, he has ended up frustrated by five disputed decisions. All three of his losses and two of his draws have come by split or majority decisions, including a controversial split-decision setback against Canelo Alvarez that could’ve (should’ve?) lifted him to true star status.
The point here is that we don’t want to see Lara finish his career without one more shot at glory, which wouldn’t be surprising given his bad luck.
He sits below only champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the WBA rankings, which means he’s first in line to challenge Triple-G. The problem is that Golovkin is expected to fight Alvarez a third time in September, which leaves an aging Lara out of the picture for now.
Lara could challenge WBC titleholder Jermall Charlo, with whom he shares a manager. And Demetrius Andrade, the WBO beltholder, is always looking for a big-name challenger.
Let’s just hope Lara gets his shot before it’s too late.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Davis said at the post-fight news conference that he didn’t suffer another injury to his left hand, as it appeared he might’ve in Round 5. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) complained after his unanimous-decision victory over Luke Santamaria (13-3-1, 7 KOs) on the Davis-Romero card that he couldn’t give his best performance because Santamaria didn’t want to fight. Ramos’ job is to make him fight, which he largely failed to do. Santamaria is a slick boxer who is naturally smaller than Ramos, who is a big puncher. Of course, Santamaria’s strategy was to stick and move. And he had some success in the first half of the fight. Ramos did well to control the second half and pull away to a unanimous-decision victory. However, he was wrong to criticize Santamaria for not cooperating as much as he would’ve liked him to. Santamaria is a good boxer. He could have success when he moves back down to 147 pounds. … So long to Gary Russell Sr., the trainer and patriarch of one of the sport’s first families who died at 63 on May 23. Russell guided four sons to Golden Gloves titles and three have had successful professional careers. Gary Russell Jr. is one of the best in the game while Gary Antuanne Russell and Gary Antonio Russell are rising contenders. The eldest Russell deserves a lot of credit for his sons’ success. RIP.
Good, bad, worse: Gervonta Davis must now face next-level opponents.
A critical look at the past week in boxing
GOOD
Are there any doubters still out there?
Gervonta Davis’ critics will point to his resume and say he still hasn’t taken down an elite fighter, at least not one his size. The fact is he has strong record, with victories over Jose Pedraza, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Leo Santa Cruz, Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz and now Rolando Romero after his one-punch knockout Saturday night in Brookly, New York.
He stopped all but one of those fighters, Cruz.
They’ll say, “Hey, Tank was barely able to outpoint Cruz in his previous fight.” C’mon, the guy fought a young, relentless beast with one arm and still pulled out a victory. That’s what champions do.
And they’ll point out that Romero was a relatively inexperienced opponent with no experience fighting on a large stage or against anyone near Davis’ ability.
That’s true, Romero did take an enormous step up in opposition. Still, he gave a strong performance until one of the biggest punchers among active fighters landed the enormous left hand that stopped him and sent the pro-Davis crowd into a tizzy. That’s what Davis does; he knocks out good opponents.
Now he must do the same against next-level foes.
Yes, it’s time for Davis to take on the cream of the 135-pound crop no matter what that takes. The winner of the June 5 fight between unified champion George Kambosos and Devin Haney is Tank’s ideal test. And Ryan Garcia and Vasiliy Lomachenko would be viable options.
If Davis fights anyone inferior to those four potential opponents in his next fight, it will only provide fodder for critics who believe he has been protected Mayweather Promotions. In other words, it wouldn’t be a step forward for him. And that’s not beneficial to a hot young fighter who wants to continue to build on his momentum.
Davis is a special all-around fighter. He has to fight other special fighters to prove how great he truly is. And the time is now.
BAD
Rolando Romero looks as if he didn’t know what hit him on Saturday night. Al Bello / Getty Images
No, it wasn’t a good night for Romero.
He was competitive against a heavy favorite for five-plus rounds, which is noteworthy. However, the unfortunate bottom line is that he was the victim of a brutal sixth-round knockout, which is bad any way you look at it.
He’s no longer unbeaten, which is never easy on a fighter. And, more important, he’ll have to put in some arduous work if he hopes to become an elite boxer and fight for a major 135-pound championship one day.
There is reason for optimism. He boxed well against his pound-for-pound opponent until his ignominious demise, as both he and his trainer pointed out after the fight.
Romero is known for his punching power but he demonstrated that he has an all-around skill set, which is how he was able to frustrate Davis for most of the short fight.
That’s remarkable given his relative lack of experience. He reportedly had a total of 49 amateur and professional fights under his belt when he stepped into the ring to face Davis. That’s a low number for a fighter taking part in a pay-per-view main event.
The fact he progressed so quickly speaks to both his God-given ability – he’s a natural – and his work ethic.
Sometimes it’s difficult to bounce back from such a devastating setback. However, if he can put the disappointment behind him and retain his confidence, Romero could still have a bright future.
The new, more flat-footed version of Erislandy Lara (29-3-3, 17 KOs) has defeated Ramon Alvarez, Greg Vendetti, Thomas LaManna and Gary O’Sullivan (31-5, 21 KOs) in his last four fights, the last victory coming by an eighth-round TKO on the Davis-Romero card.
Obviously, the Cuban master can still fight at 39 years old.
However, fighting second-tier opponents is the equivalent of spinning your wheels. At his age, Lara can’t afford to waste any more time.
And the thought of Lara failing to get another shot at a world title – this time at 160 pounds – is heartbreaking. If any fighter in the twilight of his career has earned that right, it’s the former 154-pound champion.
Remember, he has ended up frustrated by five disputed decisions. All three of his losses and two of his draws have come by split or majority decisions, including a controversial split-decision setback against Canelo Alvarez that could’ve (should’ve?) lifted him to true star status.
The point here is that we don’t want to see Lara finish his career without one more shot at glory, which wouldn’t be surprising given his bad luck.
He sits below only champion Gennadiy Golovkin in the WBA rankings, which means he’s first in line to challenge Triple-G. The problem is that Golovkin is expected to fight Alvarez a third time in September, which leaves an aging Lara out of the picture for now.
Lara could challenge WBC titleholder Jermall Charlo, with whom he shares a manager. And Demetrius Andrade, the WBO beltholder, is always looking for a big-name challenger.
Let’s just hope Lara gets his shot before it’s too late.
RABBIT PUNCHES
Davis said at the post-fight news conference that he didn’t suffer another injury to his left hand, as it appeared he might’ve in Round 5. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (19-0, 15 KOs) complained after his unanimous-decision victory over Luke Santamaria (13-3-1, 7 KOs) on the Davis-Romero card that he couldn’t give his best performance because Santamaria didn’t want to fight. Ramos’ job is to make him fight, which he largely failed to do. Santamaria is a slick boxer who is naturally smaller than Ramos, who is a big puncher. Of course, Santamaria’s strategy was to stick and move. And he had some success in the first half of the fight. Ramos did well to control the second half and pull away to a unanimous-decision victory. However, he was wrong to criticize Santamaria for not cooperating as much as he would’ve liked him to. Santamaria is a good boxer. He could have success when he moves back down to 147 pounds. … So long to Gary Russell Sr., the trainer and patriarch of one of the sport’s first families who died at 63 on May 23. Russell guided four sons to Golden Gloves titles and three have had successful professional careers. Gary Russell Jr. is one of the best in the game while Gary Antuanne Russell and Gary Antonio Russell are rising contenders. The eldest Russell deserves a lot of credit for his sons’ success. RIP.
Rolando Romero: “I won every moment of that fight, I exposed (Gervonta Davis).”
Rolando Romero spoke almost as if he kicked Gervonta Davis’ ass.
Romero was stopped by a single left hand in Round 6 of a scheduled 12-round lightweight bout Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. However, he believes he dominated the winner before the stoppage.
He called for a rematch, which Davis later rejected.
“I won all six rounds,” he said. “I won every moment of that fight, I exposed him. We need to run that s— back.”
“I want Gervonta Davis again. I was winning that f—ing fight. I just got hit with a clean shot. That’s all. … I exposed his ass, and everyone in this room knows it.”
And: “I had him running like a b—- the entire fight. And, like I said, he got a nice shot in. That’s all that happened. He got hurt multiple times. And he ran around. He was terrified of me. And I doubt he’ll do the rematch.”
Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) also took a shot at referee David Fields, who he said allowed Davis to hold excessively.
“He got hurt multiple times throughout the fight,” Romero said. “I’ll be honest that the referee helped him a lot. All he would do is hold me and hold me and hold me. And that’s that.”
Romero’s trainer, Bullet Gordon, was proud of his fighter’s performance.
“I know that Rolly could outbox pretty much 90 percent of the boxers in boxing,” he said. “People always talk about his power. Rolly is a very talented fighter.
“He showed that tonight against a three-division world champion. He whooped his ass round after round. When he hurt him, Tank did the smart thing, he held. And the ref let him get away with it.
“It was a great performance. Mistakes are made in the game. The best of the best – [Muhammad] Ali, Mike Tyson, every last one of them – took an ‘L’. So at the end of the day I’m very proud of my fighter.”
Rolando Romero: “I won every moment of that fight, I exposed (Gervonta Davis).”
Rolando Romero spoke almost as if he kicked Gervonta Davis’ ass.
Romero was stopped by a single left hand in Round 6 of a scheduled 12-round lightweight bout Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. However, he believes he dominated the winner before the stoppage.
He called for a rematch, which Davis later rejected.
“I won all six rounds,” he said. “I won every moment of that fight, I exposed him. We need to run that s— back.”
“I want Gervonta Davis again. I was winning that f—ing fight. I just got hit with a clean shot. That’s all. … I exposed his ass, and everyone in this room knows it.”
And: “I had him running like a b—- the entire fight. And, like I said, he got a nice shot in. That’s all that happened. He got hurt multiple times. And he ran around. He was terrified of me. And I doubt he’ll do the rematch.”
Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) also took a shot at referee David Fields, who he said allowed Davis to hold excessively.
“He got hurt multiple times throughout the fight,” Romero said. “I’ll be honest that the referee helped him a lot. All he would do is hold me and hold me and hold me. And that’s that.”
Romero’s trainer, Bullet Gordon, was proud of his fighter’s performance.
“I know that Rolly could outbox pretty much 90 percent of the boxers in boxing,” he said. “People always talk about his power. Rolly is a very talented fighter.
“He showed that tonight against a three-division world champion. He whooped his ass round after round. When he hurt him, Tank did the smart thing, he held. And the ref let him get away with it.
“It was a great performance. Mistakes are made in the game. The best of the best – [Muhammad] Ali, Mike Tyson, every last one of them – took an ‘L’. So at the end of the day I’m very proud of my fighter.”
Gervonta Davis says there is no need to fight Rolando Romero a second time after his sixth-round stoppage on Saturday.
Rematch? Not going to happen, Gervonta Davis said.
Rolando Romero pushed for a second fight after Davis knocked him out with a single punch in the sixth round Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, insisting he was in control of the fight before that moment.
Davis rejected his opponent’s line of thinking.
“I don’t think people deserve a rematch if they get knocked out like that,” Davis said at the post-fight news conference. “I’m not trying to be funny. If it was a good fight leading up to the knockout … like down the line, [in the] ninth or 10th round someone got caught with a good shot.
“I was winning on the scorecards, I believe. I was warming up as the fight was going on. I don’t think we need a rematch.”
What about Romero’s contention that he was winning the fight?
Well, the Las Vegas fighter wasn’t leading the scorecards. Two judges had Davis winning after five rounds (49-46 and 48-47) while one had Romero ahead (48-47). Boxing Junkie also had Davis leading 48-47, three rounds to two.
And while Davis didn’t respond directly to Romero’s contention he made it clear how he felt about it. He smiled, said “hey,” laughed and then added diplomatically, “I don’t know, man. Shout out to him.”
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) admitted that it took him some time to get a feel for Romero’s style but, he said, he knew in the early rounds that he would take charge and win the fight, which keeps him in position to fight for a major 135-pound title.
Unified champion George Kambosos defends his titles against Devin Haney on June 5.
“Through the first six rounds I was just trying to figure him out,” Davis said, “to catch his range, see how hard he hit. I just knew he’d run into something because … his focus was to throw everything hard. He tried to throw his brick hand, and I just moved out of the way and just caught him running in.”
He went on: “I knew that he was strong off the first punch he threw. Like he says, I do start slow. He caught me with a shot. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta stay out of the way.’ But I knew that down the line, down the stretch, I was going to break him down.”
And, finally, Davis was asked whether he and Romero are on good terms after the latter’s bold pre-fight comments. He answered in the affirmative.
Gervonta Davis says there is no need to fight Rolando Romero a second time after his sixth-round stoppage on Saturday.
Rematch? Not going to happen, Gervonta Davis said.
Rolando Romero pushed for a second fight after Davis knocked him out with a single punch in the sixth round Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, insisting he was in control of the fight before that moment.
Davis rejected his opponent’s line of thinking.
“I don’t think people deserve a rematch if they get knocked out like that,” Davis said at the post-fight news conference. “I’m not trying to be funny. If it was a good fight leading up to the knockout … like down the line, [in the] ninth or 10th round someone got caught with a good shot.
“I was winning on the scorecards, I believe. I was warming up as the fight was going on. I don’t think we need a rematch.”
What about Romero’s contention that he was winning the fight?
Well, the Las Vegas fighter wasn’t leading the scorecards. Two judges had Davis winning after five rounds (49-46 and 48-47) while one had Romero ahead (48-47). Boxing Junkie also had Davis leading 48-47, three rounds to two.
And while Davis didn’t respond directly to Romero’s contention he made it clear how he felt about it. He smiled, said “hey,” laughed and then added diplomatically, “I don’t know, man. Shout out to him.”
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) admitted that it took him some time to get a feel for Romero’s style but, he said, he knew in the early rounds that he would take charge and win the fight, which keeps him in position to fight for a major 135-pound title.
Unified champion George Kambosos defends his titles against Devin Haney on June 5.
“Through the first six rounds I was just trying to figure him out,” Davis said, “to catch his range, see how hard he hit. I just knew he’d run into something because … his focus was to throw everything hard. He tried to throw his brick hand, and I just moved out of the way and just caught him running in.”
He went on: “I knew that he was strong off the first punch he threw. Like he says, I do start slow. He caught me with a shot. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta stay out of the way.’ But I knew that down the line, down the stretch, I was going to break him down.”
And, finally, Davis was asked whether he and Romero are on good terms after the latter’s bold pre-fight comments. He answered in the affirmative.
Watch it: Ring-level view of Gervonta Davis’ one-punch knockout of Rolando Romero on Saturday.
Gervonta Davis gave a packed Barclays Center a dramatic ending Saturday night, stopping Rolando Romero with a single left hand in the sixth round of their lightweight bout.
Here’s a ring-level view of the spectacular knockout.
