Rolly's agenda: Beat Barroso for 140 belt, get rematch with 'Tank'

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Down the road, Rolando “Rolly” Romero would love nothing more than a rematch with Gervonta “Tank” Davis, the one man to defeat him in a competitive bout before the knockout.

But in the immediate future, Romero has designs on winning the vacant WBA junior welterweight title. He will get the opportunity against Ismael Barroso in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader on Saturday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“Everyone can expect to see ‘Rolly’ with the world title around his waist Saturday night,” Romero said this week. “Every fighter that boxes dreams of becoming world champion, so it would be a dream come true.”

He will have to do it against Barroso instead of original opponent Alberto Puello (21-0, 10 KOs), who was supposed to make his first title defense against Romero. However, last month, Puello tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug clomiphene in a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association administered test.

He was dropped from the fight a few weeks ago and temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is scheduled to hear his case at its monthly meeting on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, the WBA stripped Puello, designated him as its “champion in recess” and will await the outcome of the commission investigation.

The WBA also approved Romero to face Barroso for the vacant title. Barroso was already Puello’s mandatory challenger and had been scheduled to box on the undercard.

Romero said changing opponents was no big deal to him. He’s done it before. But he had a strong opinion about Puello having a positive drug test.

“In boxing people die and you’re gonna go test positive? People that test positive should never box again,” Romero said. “For performance enhancers? You should never box again. That’s our health.”

So, Romero (14-1, 12 KOs), 27, of Las Vegas, will instead face Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs), 40, of Venezuela, for the opportunity to realize a lifelong dream of winning a world title.

“I think Barroso is actually a better fighter than Alberto Puello because he can actually crack,” Romero said. “Any time you’re in a fight with a puncher, you know it’s gonna be difficult.

“I’m not underestimating him. I know he can hit and he’s a little tricky. He throws a good straight left that comes out of nowhere that he’s been getting guys with. So I’m definitely not underestimating him.”

‘I’m going to make 140 pounds the most popping division in boxing,’ — Romero on his move up in weight

Barroso has won four fights in a row since back-to-back losses in 2018. In 2016, then-WBA lightweight titlist Anthony Crolla knocked him out in the seventh round.

“I’m the (WBA) No. 1 contender and I got the opportunity that I deserve,” Barroso said. “I know some people thought they were left behind, but that’s not for me to worry about. ‘Rolly’ is here to take advantage of his opportunity, so good for him.

“People who know me, know that I’m a warrior. ‘Rolly’ is a warrior too. So if you’re tuning into this fight on Saturday night, you’re going to see a battle between two fighters who are very eager to become world champion. That means fireworks. Winning the title would be another blessing and a great source of happiness. It’s something that I’ve strived for my whole career and it would be the culmination of everything that I’ve trained for my entire life.”

Romero will be fighting for the first time in 50 weeks, since Davis stopped him in the sixth round to retain the WBA “regular” lightweight belt last May 28 in a Showtime PPV main event in Brooklyn, New York.

Romero was competitive but said he “felt horrible” throughout the bout after tremendous difficulty making 135 pounds.

“I shouldn’t have been at 135 no more,” Romero said. “I just should not have been there no more. I tried to get the fight at 140 but that didn’t happen. How am I gonna call a guy out and I finally get ‘em and then complain? No. I’m gonna fight and I put everything into doing that.”

He has now moved up to 140 pounds with an eye on the 147-pound welterweight division. But before he moves up again, he has a plan.

“I’m going to make 140 pounds the most popping division in boxing,” Romero said. “I see many pay-per-view events and I’m involved in all of them. This is the beginning of the ‘Rolly’ show again. It’s gonna be fireworks.”

And then there is the prospect of a rematch with Davis, one of boxing’s biggest stars.

“Man, it’s not over. It’s gonna happen again,” Romero said of a sequel to their commercially successful bout last year. “It gonna have to happen again.”

The Showtime undercard

Former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy (29-2-1, 15 KOs), 37, a Cuban defector based in Las Vegas, will square off with Omar Juarez (14-1, 5 KOs), 23, of Brownsville, Texas, in the 10-round co-feature.

Former world title challenger Batyr Akhmedov (9-2, 8 KOs), 32, an Uzbekistan native fighting out of Los Angeles, and Kenneth Sims Jr. (19-2-1, 7 KOs), 29, of Chicago, meet in a WBA junior welterweight title eliminator in the opener.

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Romero-Barroso photo: Esther Lin/Showtime

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