Teofimo Lopez Wins WBA Welterweight Title From Rolly Romero by Majority Decision After Dramatic Fight
LAS VEGAS — Teofimo Lopez captured the WBA welterweight title from Rolando “Rolly” Romero by majority decision after 12 rounds of pressure, blood and momentum swings.
Romero pressed forward from the opening bell, while Lopez relied on timing, movement and counters to control the distance. Lopez’s cutman, Joseph Kiambo, said he noticed early redness around Lopez’s eye and began taking preventive measures in the corner.
“Teofimo bruises and swells easily,” Kiambo said. “When he came back from the first round, I already saw some redness. I was doing a lot of prevention in the corner.”
Lopez’s biggest crisis came in the fifth round, when he suffered a cut above his eye. Blood poured down his face, prompting an immediate response from his corner.
“Milton goes, ‘He’s cut. Get ready, get ready,’” Kiambo recalled.
Kiambo wiped away the blood to examine the wound before applying pressure with gauze and adrenaline.
“The first thing you do is wipe the blood off just so you can actually see how big the cut is,” he said. “Then I went to work.”
“I put a lot more than I normally would,” Kiambo said. “I put a lot of pressure and he had to do his part by not getting hit, which he did.”
Kiambo said Lopez remained calm while the corner treated the injury.
“I just kept saying, ‘Don’t worry. You’re all right. It’s OK. It’s not a big one. It’s not a big one,’” Kiambo said. “I got it under control.”
He added, “He literally was the calmest person in the corner. It was just like, ‘OK.’”
The bleeding gradually slowed, but Lopez still had to protect the injury as the fight continued.
“I can do everything I can to stop it, but he just can’t get hit flush on the cut,” Kiambo said. “Otherwise, it’s just going to get bigger and bigger.”
Lopez avoided another clean shot to the injured area and resumed using counters and combinations as Romero continued pressing forward. The fight remained competitive through the middle rounds, with both fighters trading momentum as Lopez worked to maintain distance and Romero looked to force exchanges.
Lopez’s composure became increasingly important in the championship rounds. Despite the cut and Romero’s sustained pressure, he stayed with his strategy, using movement and accurate counters to keep the challenger from taking control.
Romero continued pushing forward through the final rounds, but Lopez avoided another major setback and finished the fight on his feet. After the final bell, Lopez and his corner believed he had done enough to win.
The judges awarded Lopez a majority-decision victory. One judge scored the fight 114-114, while the other two scored it 115-113 and 116-112 for Lopez.
The victory gave Lopez the WBA welterweight title after he survived Romero’s pressure, managed the cut and maintained his composure through the championship rounds.
Kiambo said Lopez thanked him immediately afterward.
“He goes, ‘Excellent work. You did an excellent job,’” Kiambo said.
Lopez also acknowledged Kiambo during the post-fight press conference, recognizing the cutman’s role in helping him finish the fight and secure the decision.
