Rolly Romero wants to impress the home crowd

This will be his first title defense after pulling off a come from behind TKO victory in the ninth round against Ismael Barroso. Romero is known as one of hardest punchers in the junior welterweight division. He has his eyes set on fighting some of the top names at 140 pounds. But in order to attract bigger fights, he must sharpen up his skills in the ring and parting ways with long time trainer Cromwell “Bullet” Gordan was a big first step.  Replacing him with legendary Cuban boxing coach Ismael Salas could be a game changer for Romero. Reactions to a recent sparring video, has fans thinking that he will be more sharper taking on Cruz who is know for his constant pressure.

If Romero can manage to get past Cruz there are some pretty big names awaiting him. Tank Davis, Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez are all big name fights that are available in the junior welterweight division. Out of all of the names that are available, the possibility of fighting former friend and current WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez is very intriguing. The two former friends had a falling out after Lopez leaked a sparring session between the two. Boxing fans hope that a match up between the two current champions could be on deck for the later part of 2024.