Putting his momentous loss to Shakur Stevenson this past January behind him, Teofimo Lopez finally became a champion in a third weight class. Scripting a new chapter in his career, “The Takeover,” outpointed Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to a majority decision and became the WBA welterweight champion.
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The feat, however, did not come without controversy. Despite delivering a strong performance, he couldn’t secure the clear-cut win against Romero. Two of the three judges favored him, but only by narrow margins. The third scored the fight a draw, leaving Lopez with a majority decision win. Against that backdrop, while he may have accepted the result, fans and several prominent figures like Claressa Shields appeared to take issue with the scoring.
“These judges better not pull no bullsh-t tonight! Teo won this fight clearly! Skills! His bodywork, jabs, and right hands were good!!!!” wrote Shields.
Soon former super featherweight champion Lamont Roach joined the discussion.
“You here? Omm Rolly was going off his sh-t the first 4 and boxing,” Roach said, before adding, “Teo came back with his activity late… but Rolly was boxing good the first half. That’s why it was majority.”
These judges better not pull no bullsh!t tonight! Teo won this fight clearly! Skills! His body work, jabs, and right hands were good!!!!
In a way, that summarizes how Lopez vs. Rolly unfolded tonight. It was a competitive duel that saw both Lopez and Romero having strong moments in the early rounds. The former found success with body shots and jabs. Romero, meanwhile, landed clean punches and hurt Lopez in the fifth round with a big left.
The story, however, changed from the sixth round onward. Rebounding from the setbacks that left him with a deep cut above his right eye, Lopez gradually started taking control by going at the champion’s body. Lopez had one of his best performances, throwing a career-high number of jabs.
In the end, out of the three judges, two, Tim Cheatham and Max Deluca, scored it in his favor, 116-112 and 115-113, respectively. However, the third judge, Glen Feldman, saw it differently, scoring it 114-114.
Several prominent boxing figures and fans were, however, not convinced by the scorecards.
Boxing figures raise eyebrows over Rolando Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez judging
Josh Taylor wrote, “Those scorecards were absolutely ridiculous!” The comment is notable because the Scottish fighter, who retired from professional boxing last year, suffered his first career loss to Lopez three years ago.
Given that history, he could have been expected to side against Lopez and argue that the fight was indeed close. For him to slam the scorecards, therefore, suggests how questionable they appeared to him and many others.
Former champion and now boxing commentator Sergio Mora shared Taylor’s sentiments. “And surprisingly, judges still saw it close!” he stated.
“A draw is CRAZY from that judge, lmfao,” wrote the host of The Divine Hook podcast. Unlike Taylor and More, however, her criticism was directed specifically at Judge Feldman’s scores.
Beyond that scrutiny, the fight’s momentum shifted between the champion and the challenger, with Romero finding success early before Lopez took control. That shift was a clear indicator that Lopez eventually gained the upper hand rather than the fight remaining an even contest throughout.
Veteran boxing writer and soccer coach Francisco A. Salazar, meanwhile, had his own scorecard ready, which differed vastly from the official cards announced at the T-Mobile Arena. “12 rounds in the books. Barring three blind mice (the judges) or an agenda, Teofimo Lopez should be the winner. I have him winning 118-110 over Rolly… #boxing #RollyTeofimo.”
“Judging this evening was a joke; the fight was not even close. Rolling (Rolly) had one or two rounds max,” a user added.
Adding a layer to the intrigue, an upset Rolly Romero felt that he had been robbed of a fight.
The whole episode was best summed up by veteran matchmaker Rick Glaser. Criticizing the Nevada State Athletic Commission and calling for improvements in judging, Glaser highlighted how the 114-114 score was particularly puzzling, given that many observers had Lopez winning by a much wider margin, with scores such as 117-111.
Likely unbothered by the judging controversy, Lopez, meanwhile, has already started receiving callouts. One came from old opponent Arnold Barboza Jr., whom Lopez defeated last year. Another came from Jack Catterall, who, at 147 pounds, holds the WBA’s regular title. That could potentially set up a mandatory challenge, depending on the WBA’s next order.
With Ryan Garcia joining the mix by saying he will fight the winner of the Rolly-Lopez fight, the welterweight division is once again taking shape with a string of intriguing matchups.