Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez Reach Verbal Agreement For August Title Fight

Teofimo Lopez and Rolando “Rolly” Romero have verbally agreed to meet in August for Romero’s WBA welterweight title, according to both BoxingScene & Dan Rafael. The fight is being targeted for Las Vegas, though the exact date and venue are still being determined.

The proposed bout would bring Lopez straight into a welterweight title fight after he told BoxingScene in March that he was moving up to 147lbs and would continue to be trained by his father, Teofimo Lopez Snr. Lopez, 22-2 (13 KOs), last boxed on January 31, when he lost his WBO & Ring junior welterweight titles to Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden.

Lopez is a promotional free agent and is co-managed by Keith Connolly and Mike Borao. Connolly had signalled on Monday that he was close to a “gigantic” announcement regarding Lopez that would “blow everyone away”, and he has also confirmed talks with both Zuffa Boxing and DAZN over Lopez’s future. The Romero fight has also been discussed as a potential PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view headliner, with Romero affiliated to Premier Boxing Champions.

Romero, 17-2 (13 KOs), has not fought since his upset victory over Ryan Garcia in Times Square in May 2025, when he won the vacant WBA regular welterweight title. He was later elevated to the WBA’s Super champion status on August 1, 2025, and has yet to make a defence.

A Lopez fight would end a frustrating stretch of stalled talks for Romero. Potential fights involving Conor Benn, Manny Pacquiao and Devin Haney have all failed to materialise, while a proposed WBO/WBA unification with Haney was cancelled over financial issues. Romero had expected to begin training for Haney in late March, but Haney moved on after hey failed to agree a deal.

Romero has also said that a possible Pacquiao fight collapsed because Pacquiao wanted more money than Romero believed could be justified. Romero said he had initially pursued a rematch with Garcia before Pacquiao’s team pushed for the bout, but after two months of negotiations, the deal was “burnt” and a “dead deal” before Floyd Mayweather Jr entered the picture, leading Romero to believe Pacquiao’s side had used him for attention.

WBA mandatory issue looms

The timing of Lopez-Romero could create a sanctioning issue. The WBA mandated Romero to defend against Jack Catterall within 180 days of Catterall’s May 23 victory over Shakhram Giyasov, setting a deadline of November 19.

Romero’s standing at world level has been shaped by high-profile swings in recent years. He was stopped by Gervonta Davis in 2022 and Isaac Cruz in 2024, the latter defeat costing him the WBA junior welterweight title, while his 2023 stoppage of Ismael Barroso for the vacant WBA super lightweight title was widely disputed. The win over Garcia gave him fresh leverage at welterweight, but the lay-off since has kept him out of the ring during a period of repeated negotiation breakdowns.

For Lopez, the fight would offer an immediate route back into a title picture following the Stevenson defeat. His victories over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor remain central to his résumé, but his next move now appears tied to finalising terms with Romero and resolving the promotional path around his welterweight debut.

The next step is to turn the verbal agreement into a completed deal, with the date, venue and broadcast structure still to be confirmed. The WBA’s Catterall order will also need to be addressed if Romero is to proceed with Lopez in August.