Rolly Romero Teases a Fight Date as a Mandatory Decision Nears

The WBA’s patience has run out; it’s officially “put up or shut up” time for the champion.

We all know how Rolly operates. He’s all about the massive paydays and maximum eyeballs. If a giant fight with a bigger name pops up, he’ll drop that belt without blinking. That’s just the Rolly Romero experience, which is exactly why nobody would be surprised if he vacates the title to chase a more lucrative opportunity

From a boxing perspective, Giyasov is a nightmare mandatory. He’s a 2016 Olympic silver medalist with serious power and a high ring IQ. He doesn’t get rattled when things get gritty, and he knows how to apply pressure.

He’s definitely not the “easy win” champions usually look for when forced into a defense. The business side is getting tense, too. Eddie Hearn, who promotes Giyasov, isn’t playing ball with “step-aside” money. He wants the fight or a purse bid, period. That takes away Rolly’s favorite tool for buying time.

Rolly’s been acting like he doesn’t even know who Giyasov is, but the WBA doesn’t care about social media beef. A mandatory is a mandatory. He’s at a massive crossroads: take a dangerous fight for credibility, or ditch the belt to hunt for a mega-event. Both moves are classic Rolly.

If he stays and fights Giyasov, you have to give him props for taking a tough style match. If he walks away, it proves the belt was just a tool for leverage all along.