Teofimo Lopez W12 Rolly Romero... Teofimo Lopez outworked Rolly Romero at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to capture the WBA welterweight world title and become a three-division champion. Weathering a few rocky moments early on, Lopez, 147 pounds, dominated a tactical battle with jabs, footwork and a consistent attack to the body. Romero, 146.5, demonstrated he clearly had the power to hurt Lopez, but he spent too much of the bout in a shell in search of counter opportunities. 

 

In round four, Romero caught Lopez with a sneaky counter left hook that stunned the New Yorker. In the next stanza, it was an overhand right that badly hurt and wobbled Lopez. Romero rushed in with a flurry of power punches but was a bit overzealous in his attack and pushed Lopez to the canvas for no knockdown. A blood-spattered Lopez returned to his corner with a cut over his right eye. However, Romero failed to capitalize on this success, as Lopez dominated the remainder of the contest as the busier fighter.

 

A questionable tally of 114-114 was overruled by scorecards of 116-112 and 115-113 to give Lopez (23-2 with 13 KOs), the majority decision victory. A dejected Romero, now 17-3 with 13 KOs, abruptly left the ring electing not to provide post-fight comments.