“My son is gonna box the s*** out of Rolly. My son is a pure boxer. Rolly has some power, but he won’t be able to touch my son. Just watch,” said Teofimo Sr. to Ring.
Lopez Sr. also said he doesn’t want his son chasing a knockout.
“I never tell my son to go for the knockout. Every time he knocked someone out, it came naturally. Just go out there and outbox him. My son can make it look easy.”
Teofimo Sr.’s confidence is nothing new. He made a similar prediction before Teofimo’s January clash with Shakur Stevenson, only to watch his son lose a unanimous decision and surrender his WBO light welterweight title. That history may leave some fans skeptical of his latest forecast.
The bigger challenge for DAZN and the event’s promoters isn’t selling Lopez Sr.’s confidence. It’s convincing fans that the fight itself is worth purchasing on pay-per-view.
The early reaction has been mixed, with many questioning why Teofimo is receiving an immediate shot at Romero’s WBA welterweight title after coming off a loss. Rather than earning his opportunity with a win at 147, he’s moving directly into a championship bout.
Romero’s title reign has also drawn criticism. He hasn’t fought since defeating Ryan Garcia to capture the WBA belt more than a year ago. During that stretch, proposed bouts with Manny Pacquiao and Devin Haney fell through, leaving Rolly without a title defense while the division’s contenders continued to wait.
Shakhram Giyasov earned mandatory challenger status but never received his title shot. Jack Catterall later defeated Giyasov to win the WBA interim welterweight title, strengthening the argument among many fans that Rolly should have been defending against the division’s leading contenders instead of facing Teofimo.
The former friendship between Romero and Teofimo is expected to be a major part of the promotion over the coming weeks.