Out of all the boxers this year, it’s safe to say Rolly Romero is having the time of his life. After suffering a sixth-round TKO loss to Gervonta Davis in 2022 5before a shocking defeat to Isaac Cruz in 2024, many experts had written off his career. With two losses in just three fights, the outlook seemed bleak. But Romero bounced back by going the full 10 rounds against Manuel Jaimes, handing Jaimes only the second loss of his pro career since debuting in 2018. And that was just the beginning.
Not only did Romero return to winning ways in late 2024, but he kicked off 2025 by pulling off a major upset over Ryan Garcia to claim the vacant WBA (Regular) welterweight title. And now, things have only gotten better. The WBA has officially elevated him to Super champion status, making Rolly Romero the full titleholder at 147 pounds. And while Rolly is likely speechless with joy, Devin Haney couldn’t help but take a jab at the newly crowned WBA champion, especially in light of Jaron Ennis vacating the belt.
Yesterday, Source of Boxing took to X and, alongside a picture of Rolly Romero, announced, “Rolly Romero is now officially recognized as the 147-pound WBA champion on their website following Jaron Ennis’ decision to vacate the title Romero is now a 2-division champion at 140 and 147, having also held the WBA interim lightweight title from 2020 to 2021.” With that news, Romero may finally be closing in on a bout he’s long desired, one against the legendary Manny Pacquiao. But that’s not the real story here.
Hours after the post went up, Devin Haney, once dubbed the “email champion” himself, reshared it and fired a not-so-subtle dig: “So is he 2X email champion?” he asked. On Thursday, the World Boxing Association released its end-of-month rankings, and the first notable change was the absence of super champion Jaron Ennis. For some time now, ‘Boots’ has been hinting at a move up in weight, and on August 1, he made it official, vacating his WBA welterweight title and is looking for a potential bout against Josh Kelly.
So is he 2X email champion? https://t.co/ttDARrpwHU
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) August 1, 2025
For nearly a year, the Philadelphia native reigned at the top of the welterweight division after Terence Crawford moved up. But with his exit, the landscape has shifted dramatically. The IBF title also remains vacant, though reports suggest the rematch between Lewis Crocker (#1) and Paddy Donovan (#3), which was originally scheduled as an eliminator, will now be for the vacant belt. Anyway, title or not, it seems Rolly Romero is already back on the radar of a familiar foe.
Rolly Romero can’t afford misstep this time
As he gears up for a potential rebound, Ryan Garcia is determined to right the wrongs of his last outing, especially if a rematch with Rolando Romero materializes. “The fight I am most interested in is me getting my rematch against Rolando Romero,” Garcia told The Ring, though Romero has yet to sign for the bout and is reportedly exploring other opponents. “That just wasn’t me that night,” Garcia added, attributing his poor performance to several factors: injuries in both hands, a one-year layoff, a shortened four-week camp under trainer Derrick James, and the low energy of a sparse crowd.
“It was the first time that’s ever happened in any of my fights,” Garcia admitted. “It was hard for me to accept during the fight. I cried afterward, not because I lost, but because I was defenseless. It sucks when you’re a competitor. I was actually shocked Rolly wasn’t attacking me more.” The fight itself was notably uneventful, aside from Romero’s second-round knockdown. In fact, their combined 123 punches landed out of 490 thrown ranked as the third-lowest total ever recorded in a 12-round fight in CompuBox’s 40-year history, Garcia landed 66, Romero just 57.
Now, with fully recovered hands and renewed focus, Ryan Garcia is confident the rematch would unfold differently. “The rematch is going to come down to who sets the pace and makes the move,” he said. “I have a plan for him next time, and I’ll run him over with it and sink him in deep waters.” Having described the defeat as a much-needed “wake-up call,” KingRy now aims to flip the narrative. But the big question is: can he defeat Rolando Romero in their rematch? Or do you think Rolly Romero might go a different route and end up fighting Manny Pacquiao instead?
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