Teofimo Lopez Jr. moves up to challenge Rolly Romero

Not long after Teofimo Lopez Jr. lost his super lightweight championship to Shakur Stevenson in January, Rolly Romero approached his trainer/father, Teofimo Lopez Sr., with a suggestion that now has Teofimo Jr. chasing after Romero’s belt.

Romero suggested that Lopez should move up in weight class from 140 pounds to the 147-pound welterweight division, where Romero is the WBA champion.

“After our last fight one of the first people who came up to me was Rolly, and he was telling me that my son had to move up to 147,” the elder Lopez said. “Now it’s crazy that we’re up here getting ready to fight. I can’t wait. Aug. 22 is gonna be a great night. These guys are gonna come to fight and give a show.” 

Romero will defend his WBA welterweight championship belt against Teofimo Lopez Jr. on Aug. 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

These two fighters are coming into the showdown with different mentalities. On one hand, you have Romero (17-2) defending his belt more than a year after dropping Ryan Garcia in the second round back in May 2025. Lopez (22-2) is looking to get back to winning ways after losing his WBO super lightweight title in January. 

Teofimo Lopez Jr. seeks another division title

These kinds of headlines heading into August make this title bout all the more interesting. It gets even more interesting if you consider that Lopez has already won titles in two separate weight classes. Now he’s debuting at 147 pounds.

Even with all the factors surrounding Lopez going into this fight, there’s still a lot for the Honduran American from Brooklyn. He is adamant that he has plenty of room for growth, and that fans should be excited about his boxing.

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“I believe that I haven’t touched the surface of what I’ve got to give the sport,” Teofimo Jr. said. “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 Aug. 22.” 

There’ll be plenty of questions as well about Romero. Some wonder what shape Romero will be in after not fighting for more than a year. A fighter knows that after a certain time out, sparring sessions can never replicate the intensity and pressure of an actual fight, especially one with a title on the line. 

‘Perfect fight for Rolly’

“Everything we do comes from the work in the gym,” Romero’s trainer, Ismael Salas, said. “Every fight has a different approach. Styles make fights. With all respect to Teofimo, this is a perfect fight for Rolly. This is a guy who comes forward. I don’t want to say too much, but everyone will see on Aug. 22.” 

And what does Romero himself say about it? 

“I feel pretty good right now,” Romero said. “We’re gonna have to see if I’m 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.” 

These fighters hope to answer a lot of questions in August. Will Romero be up to speed after that time off? Will Lopez become a three-division champion? But undoubtedly the most important question of them all is, who will take home the WBA welterweight championship belt?