The embarrassment that came from getting brutally knocked out at the hands of Gervonta Davis, may have been a blessing in disguise for Rolando “Rolly” Romero.
Normally, that type of defeat has led to a fighter’s stock plummeting. For Romero, however, he fought well enough for both his contemporaries and fans to view him in a different light.
Nowadays, Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) struts around the boxing world with his chin in the air and sunglasses on. Ultimately, he believes he’s a star. And, when you believe you’re one of the most recognizable faces around, your demand and asking price will go up.
After grabbing a controversial win over Ismael Barroso to get back on track, Romero’s name was hot. More than anyone, Ryan Garcia wanted to get his hands on him. Their conclaves appeared to be going in the right direction but for whatever reason, everything fell apart. Now, Romero is set to make his return against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on March 30th.
They haven’t been incredibly loud, but Romero’s critics have expressed their annoyance with him. Garcia is a bigger name and a full-blown 140-pounder. But, from his point of view, outside of those two elements, Romero believes he took the more difficult road.
“Isn’t Pitbull Cruz a more difficult fighter?” Asked Romero to FightHype.com. “A stronger fighter? A more durable fighter? A more exciting fighter?”
Gervonta Davis, ironically enough, also took out Cruz, prior to doing the same to Romero. Since then, the highly-ranked lightweight contender has racked up three victories in a row. Although he was on the verge of landing a title shot at 135 pounds, he’s opted to move up to Romero’s weight class for a chance at championship glory.
Romero enjoys a good laugh. He often points to Cruz’s diminutive size and pokes fun at him. With that said, he knows that the 25-year-old is dangerous. Considering his violent work, Romero believes he deserves some credit for facing him.
“It just shows that I have balls for going after Pitbull Cruz.”