Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Teofimo Lopez previewed their bout and faced off at a kickoff press conference in Los Angeles. The two fighters square off on Saturday, August 22, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
- Two-division world champion Romero (17-2, 13 KOs) puts his WBO welterweight title on the line, making his first defense in front of his hometown crowd.
- Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) of Brooklyn looks to become a champion in his third weight class, having previously held titles at lightweight and super lightweight.
The Romero vs Lopez showdown airs live on pay-per-view on Prime Video and is part of the new PBC partnership with DAZN.
See the photos below and what Romero and Lopez had to say at the press conference at Avalon Hollywood on Thursday.
Romero: Me and Teo aren’t friends, he’s my little brother
“It’s been a hard time trying to make a fight, but we know that Teofimo is gonna fight anyone,” 30-year-old Las Vegas native Romero said. “So I’m thankful that he stepped up to the plate.”
“I needed the time off to focus on me. I’m just happy to be back with another big event and to be here at the announcement of the PBC and DAZN deal. This is just one of so many great fights that are gonna come from it.”
“I feel pretty good right now. We’re gonna have to see if I’m even better than I was against Ryan Garcia. I’ve missed boxing. I really don’t do this for anything other than the love of the sport.”
“A fight’s a fight, a sparring session is sparring. Everyone’s sparring each other. People get cracked. Now we’re doing it under the big lights for a belt. I feel like this fight gives me the opportunity to become a Hall of Famer.”
“Me and Teo aren’t friends, he’s my little brother. I’d rather go in there against him than anyone else.”
Lopez: We know each other enough to know what triggers us
“I feel great. It’s put up or shut up. We’re at a point in time in my career where everything is at stake,” said Lopez, 28. “People want to know if this is the start of something new for me. I look forward to it.”
“I want to thank the champ for stepping up to the plate. I’m looking forward to becoming a three-division world champion at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 22.”
“We know each other enough to know what triggers us. We know secrets possibly that people don’t know. This is gonna be a big fight for the next era of boxing.”
“I believe that I haven’t even touched the surface of what I’ve got to give to this sport. When I face the champion, I’ll be 29. I’ve got a lot of good prominent years left. I’m gonna answer all the questions on August 22.”
The bouts featured on the Romero vs Lopez undercard are expected to be announced shortly.