Rolly Romero Questions Judging After Narrow Loss to Teofimo Lopez in Title Fight
Rolly Romero has voiced his frustration over the judging in his narrow defeat to Teofimo Lopez, losing the WBA welterweight title in a thrilling bout on Saturday at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena. The scorecards read 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Lopez, while one judge scored it 114-114, marking Lopez's rise as a three-weight champion. In the fight, Lopez, 29, showcased resilience, particularly after suffering a cut and being wobbled in the fifth round. However, Romero, 30, contends that Lopez did not do enough to secure the victory. In his post-fight press conference, Romero addressed criticisms regarding his performance in the latter half of the fight: "Why don’t we ask that to every single boxer that literally just picks, moves, picks, moves?" "I clearly outboxed the dude that’s supposed to be one of the best boxers." "It’s all political. Do I really need to [elaborate]?" Romero's loss follows his previous title win against Ryan Garcia last May. In contrast, Lopez's victory represents a comeback after a one-sided loss to Shakur Stevenson in January. Post-fight, Lopez expressed his determination, stating: "If you lose and you come back, you never lost, because you’re a winner. I’m a true example of what winning is." Reflecting on the fight, Lopez acknowledged the challenge he faced and emphasized the need for more combinations from Romero's side, noting: "We had to go and push the fight if need be." This clash sets the stage for potential rematch discussions as both fighters evaluate their paths forward.
Source: The Independent Sport - 2026-08-24