Teofimo Lopez Defeats Rolly Romero to Become Three-Division World Champion
SEO Title: Teofimo Lopez Defeats Rolly Romero, Wins WBA Welterweight Title to Become 3-Division Champion
Teofimo Lopez has added another major accomplishment to his boxing career.
Lopez defeated Rolando “Rolly” Romero by majority decision Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, capturing the WBA welterweight championship and becoming a world champion in a third weight division.
The judges scored the 12-round fight 116-112 and 115-113 for Lopez, with the third judge scoring it 114-114. The victory improved Lopez's professional record to 23-2 with 13 knockouts.
Teofimo Lopez Makes History at 147 Pounds
The victory was particularly significant because it was Lopez's first fight as a full-fledged welterweight.
Lopez had already established himself as a world champion at lightweight and junior welterweight. By defeating Romero for the WBA championship at 147 pounds, “The Takeover” officially added another division to his résumé.
Lopez used movement, timing and an effective jab to neutralize much of Romero's power.
According to CompuBox statistics cited by ESPN, Lopez landed 124 of 530 punches, compared with 73 of 352 for Romero. Lopez also landed a career-high 62 jabs.
Rolly Romero Had His Moments
The fight wasn't completely one-sided.
Romero's power created dangerous moments, particularly during the fifth round. A hard shot hurt Lopez, but the challenger recovered and eventually regained control of the fight. Romero also landed a left hook in the 11th that briefly staggered Lopez.
But Romero struggled to sustain enough offense.
Lopez's activity, jab and ability to control distance became increasingly important as the fight progressed.
By the final round, Romero landed only two punches, according to CompuBox numbers reported by ESPN.
Rolly Romero Disputes Decision
Romero strongly disagreed with the judges.
The Las Vegas fighter entered the bout making his first defense of the WBA championship he had earned following his upset victory over Ryan Garcia in 2025. After losing the belt, Romero argued that he had not taken significant damage and described the decision as a robbery.
The official scorecards, however, gave Lopez the majority-decision victory.
Lopez was less concerned about how close the judges made the fight.
“The scorecards, I could care less, because I got the victory,” Lopez said afterward. “This is the road to undisputed.”
Lopez Bounces Back From Shakur Stevenson Loss
The victory also represents a major comeback for Lopez.
Seven months earlier, Lopez suffered a decisive unanimous-decision loss against Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden.
Instead of taking a long rebuilding route, Lopez moved up another weight class and immediately challenged Romero for a championship.
Now he's a world champion again.
That dramatically changes the conversation surrounding his career.
Lopez has gone from losing his 140-pound championship to becoming a champion at 147 pounds within the same year.
What's Next for Teofimo Lopez?
The welterweight division suddenly has another major name.
Lopez has made it clear that becoming champion isn't necessarily the final objective. He has talked about pursuing an undisputed welterweight championship, which could create several major fights.
The winner of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn could become particularly interesting as Lopez looks toward bigger opportunities at 147 pounds.
Other potential blockbuster opponents could eventually enter the conversation as well.
For now, Lopez has accomplished something few fighters ever achieve.
He conquered lightweight.
He conquered junior welterweight.
And after outboxing Rolly Romero in Las Vegas, Teofimo Lopez can officially call himself a three-division world champion.
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