Rolando Romero and Teofimo Lopez wouldn’t interruption oculus interaction connected Friday afternoon, their relationship frosty aft respective years, reduced to an icy, bare glare. Put by Lopez connected a league country signifier aft the staredown capped their ceremonial weigh-in astatine Park MGM: “We pictured this infinitesimal years ago, and it’s clip for america to fight.”
From friends to foes.
Romero and Lopez are suspending their relationship to container for the WBA welterweight rubric Saturday astatine T-Mobile Arena via Premier Boxing Champions. Romero, 30 and a autochthonal Las Vegan who held the WBA inferior welterweight title, is making the archetypal defence of his crown helium claimed past twelvemonth against Ryan Garcia. Lopez, 29, a autochthonal New Yorker and two-weight satellite champion is making his 147-pound debut.
“It’s clip to fight,” Romero deadpanned to DAZN’s Chris Mannix connected stage.
Romero (17-2, 13 knockouts) and Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) formed their relationship grooming successful Las Vegas a decennary ago, sparring to sharpen each other’s skills arsenic they managed their aboriginal nonrecreational pathways. As their enslaved evolved, truthful did their careers with Lopez unifying lightweight titles — with wins successful 2019 implicit Richard Comney and successful 2020 astatine MGM Grand erstwhile pound-for-pound large Vasiliy Lomachenko — and winning the WBO junior welterweight rubric successful 2022 from erstwhile undisputed champion Josh Taylor.
After 3 defenses against lukewarm opposition, Lopez mislaid his rubric successful New York successful January to pound-for-pound large Shakur Stevenson — forcing his determination to welterweight.
Romero parlayed a 2022 loss to Gervonta Davis into a combat for the vacant WBA 140-pound title, won controversially successful 2023 implicit Ismael Barroso astatine The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. He mislaid the loop the pursuing twelvemonth to Isaac Cruz astatine T-Mobile Arena, rebounding with a tune-up triumph earlier upsetting Garcia past twelvemonth successful New York.
As for the stylistic matchup, Lopez, trained by his begetter and namesake, is champion arsenic a light-footed counterpuncher mixing speed, creativity and fast-twitch reflexes. Romero is people heavy-handed portion throwing shots from unconventional angles, refining his aggression the past mates years nether Ismael Salas astatine his Las Vegas gym.
“We’ve shared a batch of rounds successful the ringing and present we’re present 10 years later,” Lopez noted connected Thursday day during the promotion’s last quality league astatine Park MGM, aboriginal suggesting helium eased up successful sparring. “He’s the champion combatant astatine 147 and the hardest puncher. I’m the benignant of feline who goes aft those challenges.”
Romero said helium sought to combat the champion contention astatine welterweight — successful which Garcia is the WBC champion, defending his rubric adjacent period astatine T-Mobile Arena against Conor Benn, Devin Haney is the WBO champion and Liam Paro is the IBF champion — and credited Lopez for accepting the challenge.
Forget astir their relationship for 1 much night.
“If they springiness maine a 100 cardinal dollars I’ll punch my dada successful the look close now,” Romero joked Thursday. “The relationship doesn’t substance to maine astatine each erstwhile the doorbell rings.”
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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