Rolly Romero held a media roundtable in Los Angeles on Wednesday to discuss his triumph over Ryan Garcia and more. [Although not posted on the official WBA rankings, an article on the WBA website recognized Romero as the WBA [regular] welterweight champion with Jaron "Boots" Ennis listed as the WBA super champion. Neither Romero nor Garcia had ever campaigned at welterweight, and Garcia was coming off a suspension for PEDs and should not have been rewarded with a WBA title shot]. Romero, a former WBA 140-pound title holder, earned a unanimous decision over the betting favorite Garcia. Romero scored the highlight of the night by connecting on a pair of left hooks in round two that dropped Garcia and set the tone for the rest of the bout.
Romero rode that early knockdown and a consistent body attack to the victory, landing 45 of his 57 total punches landed to the body, according to CompuBox stats. He also showed impressive defensive prowess, limiting the usually explosive Garcia to just 18 power punches landed across the twelve rounds. Romero also appeared on stage Wednesday and was recognized for his achievements before the start of the press conference for the May 31 PBC Championship Boxing on Prime Video event headlined by Caleb Plant vs. Armando Reséndiz and Jermall Charlo vs. Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna. Here is what Romero had to say Wednesday from The Mayan in Los Angeles:
“I have two losses and they both came from big fights [Tank Davis, Isaac Cruz]. Those losses haven’t derailed me from anything. They can’t slow me down. Every time you think I’m gone, I’m gonna come back again and again…These other guys are fighting for the money, but I fight for belts and for legacy.
“If Ryan wants to do a rematch we can do it. I don’t know if he’s mentally ready for a rematch and I know he has other obligations. I don’t know if people are too interested in seeing that other rematch, but if you have obligations, you should honor your obligations.
“I know Ryan too well. I knew exactly how he was gonna come and where he was gonna come. I think even he was surprised with how well I knew him.
“I neutralized his left hook. The second he threw one left hook, what happened? He got dropped and he never threw it again. The only reason he didn’t get knocked out is because he was fighting to survive.
“When I was fighting at 135, I really should have been at 140, and then when I was at 140, I really should have been at 147. I was calling out Errol Spence Jr. and wanted to skip 140. I should have been at 147 for a very long time. I think it’s apparent. I mean how do I move up in weight and get a lot faster and more explosive. You usually get slower when you move up in weight.
“You didn’t really see me have to box early on in my career, because I was flatlining people in the first few rounds.
“The jab to the body is the money punch to me. That punch will break down anyone little by little. I’ve dropped people with it.
“Ryan gave me his best. That was a focused Ryan Garcia. He didn’t do any of the stuff that he had done for his last night. Is anyone saying he wasn’t focused in camp? That’s because Ryan takes me seriously. He knows me.
“Anything regarding me being the face of boxing I agree with.”
