The sport of boxing is often described as the sweet science. And while in part that may very well be true, Rolando “Rolly” Romero has never been interested in lacing up his gloves and engaging in a tactical back-and-forth battle of the wits.
Ultimately, from the moment the opening bell rings, the 27-year-old bulls forward and attempts to separate his foes from their consciousness. To his credit, he often succeeds.
As the newly implemented 140-pound contender continues to put in the work behind the scenes, he acknowledges that he has a certain affinity for fighters who are cut from the same violent cloth as him. On the other side of the spectrum, Rolando (14-1, 12 KOs) admits that pugilists who often enlist the help of the three judges sitting ringside, quite frankly, get on his nerves.
By and large, Devin Haney, the undisputed kingpin at 135 pounds, has been the target of Rolando’s scathing criticism. With the 24-year-old opting to remain on the outside and out-box his foes as opposed to going in for the kill, Rolando loathes Haney’s preferred style of attack.
Be that as it may, Rolando has found a new fighter to openly chastise, one that’s incredibly skilled but also has the propensity for pushing his bouts to the final bell.
“I used to think that Devin Haney was the most boring fighter in the damn sport but at least Devin Haney tries to knock people out,” said Rolando to Fight Guys during a recent interview. “It’s just Devin Haney has the inferior genetics. His genetics are beyond horrible with his sloppy legs and his weak body frame and all that stuff but Shakur? That guy will put anybody to sleep outside the ring, not inside the ring.”
Despite being lambasted, Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) proved that he’s much more than a skillful craftsman. This past weekend, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the former Olympic silver medalist made his lightweight debut, making quick work of the overmatched Shuichiro Yoshino.
With the five extra pounds of muscle, Stevenson pounded the Japanese native to the tune of a sixth-round stoppage win. Now, Stevenson will play the waiting game as he hopes to grab a shot at the winner of the upcoming showdown between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Regardless of Stevenson’s next move, Romero is convinced that the sudden lightweight entrant and his handlers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Of course, the main objective has always been to win, something Stevenson does exceptionally well. However, in terms of lining their pockets up with dough and giving fans value for what they’re purchasing, Romero doesn’t believe that Stevenson checks that box.
“He’s the most boring fighter in the history of boxing. I really feel bad for him, there’s no way they can put him on pay-per-view. He can’t sell a fight.”