Regis Prograis laughed as Rolando “Rolly” Romero found himself in a hirsute situation.
There’s no other way to put it, Ismael Barroso looked ancient as he made his way to the ring on May 13th earlier this year. Those who were watching believed the 40-year-old needed to be more focused on his retirement plans, not a world title run. However, with a chance to grab a vacant belt, Barroso fought like the more desperate man.
For roughly eight rounds, Barroso stalked his much younger opponent. And, when he was in position, landed the sort of leather that made Romero second guess jumping into the ring with him.
With each hard shot that wobbled him, Prograis found it hilarious. The 34-year-old was also hysterical when Romero was given the victory due to a premature stoppage.
His win may have been somewhat tainted, but Romero officially grabbed the WBA world title. Prograis, being in possession of the WBC’s super lightweight title at the time, showed no interest in unifying. Simply put, Prograis was convinced that Romero wasn’t a true champion and not worthy of facing him.
So, with Romero off the table, Prograis turned his attention to Devin Haney. Following months of fun back-and-forth trash talk, the two officially got it on this past weekend at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Romero, as he continues to work his way back from injury, flipped on his television set and purchased the pay-per-view. Prograis, despite promising a one-sided beatdown, found himself on the wrong end of that promise. The Louisiana native was easily outboxed, dropped, and dominated for 12 rounds.
Once Haney eventually placed the final nail in the coffin, Romero realized that Prograis was a liar. The 34-year-old chalked up his unwillingness to fight Romero as simply having bigger fish to fry. Now, after watching his latest performance, Romero believes he knows the real reason why he was unwilling to swap fists with him.
“Now we know why Prograis didn’t want to fight me,” wrote Romero on his social media account. “He don’t wanna get cracked.”