Enigmatic super lightweight star Rolly Romero returns to action against California product Manuel Jaimes at T-Mobile Arena on Sept. 14 — but that doesn't mean he knows much about his opponent.
The 28-year-old is ready for his return to the ring after suffering an eighth-round TKO defeat to Isaac Cruz in March. That loss saw him surrender his WBA 140-pound title.
“My only joy is punching people in the face and getting punched in the face,” Romero said in a recent interview with Sporting News. “It’s the most toxic relationship ever. She lies to me, she cheats on me, she hits me, she talks bad about me, she embarrasses me publicly. But sometimes you're just in love.”
Yet as much as he loves boxing, the Romero hasn't taken the time to check out his next opponent. The 16-1-1 Jaimes remained a mystery to him just three weeks out from his 18th professional fight.
The 10-round bout against Jaimes will be broadcast by DAZN PPV and Prime Video on the Canelo-Berlanga undercard.
“Honestly, I still haven’t registered his name in my head and that’s really all I can say," he told Sporting News. "I don’t know him.
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And what if Jaimes surprises him on fight night?
“I hope he does,” Romero said. “I hope he surprises me with something. I hope he shows me that he’s that dude.”
When Romero lost to Cruz, many insiders had high expectations of Cruz taking part in potential unification fights at 140 pounds. But Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela hadn’t read the script and outpointed the Mexican slugger in his maiden title defense last month.
“I called that fight; I was the only one that picked Rayo,” Romero said with a smile. “But do you know why [Cruz] lost? Because he was never supposed to have that belt in the first place.
“My loss came down to… I did a lot of f—d up sh— in my life. I’m getting better. I’ve been better. It all came down to me at that one moment. There’s nowhere in my life that I felt as sh—y as I did on that day, walking out to the ring. That wasn’t me who fought.”
When asked for the reasons behind the poor performance, Romero again referenced his past.
“The man upstairs didn’t want me to win that fight and that’s what happened,” he said. “I made a lot of mistakes in my life. I’m a better man and I want to become a better man, but [Cruz] just happened to be there that day. It was my punishment.”
If Romero can post a solid win on the Canelo-Berlanga undercard, then his name recognition and status as a former titleholder could help catapult him toward a rematch with Cruz or a shot against Rayo.
“I’ve got no interest in any of that stuff right now,” Romero said. “I’ve been a world champion. I’m going to do whatever I feel like because I like it better that way.
“At the end of it, with my name, with my marketability, with everything I’ve done for this sport in a short period of time, do you think I can’t get another world title shot whenever the f— I want one? I can find a way, so I don’t worry about that right now.”
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When asked what he wanted to do in the immediate future, Romero's answer mirrored that of most top contenders.
“I’m at the point where I just want to get the biggest fights,” he said.
Are there any bigger fights for him than Ryan Garcia?
“Is that a big fight?” came the surprising response. Romero explained his train of thought: “He’s clearly not playing by the rules. Is that a big fight? Do we just look past everything else?"
In particular, Romero called out Garcia's positive PED test, which led to his suspension and an overturned result of his April 20 win against Devin Haney.
No matter what the future brings, the hard-hitting Las Vegas star promised a return to form Saturday night — as Romero called it: "The Rolly show!"
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