Rolando Romero vs Teofimo Lopez Preview August 22nd , 2026
Former Ring Magazine, Lineal and WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Teofimo Lopez of Brooklyn, New York will try to take the WBA Welterweight Belt from Rolando Romero of Las Vegas, Nevada this Saturday, August 22nd. Lopez lost his belts by unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson in his last contest in January. Lopez edged Josh Taylor in June, 2023 for the WBO and Ring Titles and is also a former WBA Super World, IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine World Lightweight Champion. Romero last saw action in May, 2025 when he beat Ryan Garcia by 12-round unanimous decision after dropping him in the second round. The 12-rounder from Las Vegas can be seen on DAZN and Amazon Prime pay-per-view outlets in most nations.
Romero vs Lopez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Rolando Romero +219
- Teofimo Lopez -295
My Pick
Romero, who started boxing at the age of 17, is now 30 years old and has 96 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2016 following his amateur career. He climbs through the ropes with a mark of 17-2 with 13 Ko’s with his first defeat coming at the hands of Gervonta Davis in a shot at the WBA Lightweight Title when he was stopped in the sixth round in 2022. He was also halted by Isaac Cruz in the eighth round in 2024 for his other loss.
Romero possesses plenty of power in his punches as 76.5 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and he has gone the distance just four times as a pro. He beat Jackson Marinez by unanimous decision in 2020 for the WBA Interim Lightweight Title and went the distance with Javier Martinez over six rounds in 2018 with Romero earning a unanimous decision. He went the distance in a unanimous 10-round decision over Manuel Jaimes in 2024 as well and also went the distance against Garcia.
Therefore he’s halted just one of his past five opponents and his record is 3-2 in that stretch. Romero has beaten some other pretty good boxers along the way as well such as Anthony Yigit and Avery Sparrow. He was also doing well against Gervonta Davis until he got caught in the sixth round. Romero stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68-inch so is the same height as Lopez and gives up a minimal half-inch in reach to him.
The 29-year-old Lopez climbs into the ring with a mark of 22-2 with 13 Ko’s and is former multiple world title holder who also held the NABF, WBC Continental Americas, USBA, and NABA-USA Lightweight Belts earlier in his career. Lopez originally won the WBA and WBO Lightweight Titles in 2020 when he beat a rather tame-looking Vasyl Lomachenko by a somewhat controversial unanimous decision and had won the IBF belt 10 months earlier when he stopped Richard Commey in the second round.
However he lost a split decision and all of his titles to George Kambosos Jr in his first defence in November, 2021 in a fight which saw Lopez down in the first round and Kambosos on the deck in the 10th. Lopez is regarded as one of the sport’s top boxers due to his whirlwind, non-stop style and power but struggled against Masayoshi Nakatani in July 2019 as well as against Lomachenko in the last half of their fight and also against Sandor Martin in another controversial win, this time by split decision over 10 rounds in December, 2022.
In addition, he defended his Junior Welterweight Belt via a controversial unanimous decision over Jamaine Ortiz in February, 2024 and just four months later he also looked lacklustre in a wide unanimous decision over Steve Claggett. And of course, he didn’t look the greatest against Shakur Stevenson either. Lopez owns better-than-average power as 59.1 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in six straight fights and in eight of his past nine. Lopez isn’t really a one-punch KO artist even though he nailed Richard Commey perfectly in the second round of their 2019 bout to win the IBF crown.
He typically stops opponents with the sheer volume of punches he throws rather than with just one shot. Lopez has boxed 161 rounds since turning pro in 2016. He enjoyed a fine amateur career and fought for Honduras at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where he lost in the first round of competition. He’s also a former national Golden Gloves Champion and has had no problem adapting to pro boxing. Lopez has also beaten the likes of Arnold Barboza Jr., Edis Tatli, Diego Magdaleno, Mason Menard, William Silva, Vitor Jones, Juan Pablo Sanchez and Francisco Medel.
Prediction…
Both men are world-class boxers with plenty of skills and power but perhaps aren’t what you’d call elite. Lopez struggles against skill and Romero’s chin isn’t really that reliable. Lopez could catch him with a shot here and he could also outbox him. Romero has good power and a fine left hook but Lopez owns a sturdy chin. I just think Lopez is the better boxer overall and will leave the ring with a victory on Saturday night. Mind you, I thought Ryan Garcia would beat Romero too and this is Lopez’s first fight at the 147 lb welterweight limit.
Lopez has the overall edge in skills.
Play: Lopez -295 @ BetOnline.ag
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Rolando Romero betting • Teofimo Lopez betting