Moving up to 147 pounds places him against a naturally stronger opponent.
“I don’t think he has the physicality at 147 pounds. At 135, he was a monster. He moves to 140 and put together a great performance against Josh Taylor, but he hasn’t really hurt anybody at 140. Now he’s going to 147. Sometimes guys just reach their limit as far as moving up in weight,” Edwards said to The Spit Bucket podcast.
A disciplined performance against Ryan Garcia changed Edwards’ view of Romero. Rather than recklessly hunting for one knockout punch, Rolly used his jab, controlled the distance and maintained his concentration across 12 rounds.
That awkward rhythm creates trouble beyond what his crude technique suggests. Edwards has watched Romero get the better of talented fighters during gym sessions. He also believed Rolly was outboxing Gervonta Davis through much of their fight before one mistake led to the knockout.
Nonstop pressure allowed Pitbull Cruz to overwhelm Romero, but Teofimo Lopez operates as a counterpuncher. Drawing Rolly forward becomes dangerous against a naturally larger puncher with enough strength to make Teofimo cautious.
Confidence also favors Romero after the biggest victory of his career. Lopez returns from a comprehensive defeat against Shakur Stevenson that left noticeable damage around his face.
A loss would be devastating for Teofimo Lopez. A second consecutive defeat, especially against Rolly Romero, would temporarily destroy his plans to use the WBA belt as leverage for fights with the Ryan Garcia-Conor Benn winner or WBO champion Devin Haney.
Teofimo Lopez Sr. has talked about his son becoming the undisputed welterweight champion. Those ambitions would effectively disappear if Rolly beats him. Teofimo would lose his easiest route to a title and find himself rebuilding his career without the bargaining power that a belt provides.
Previous success in important fights earns Teofimo considerable respect from Edwards. He selected Lopez to defeat Taylor when nearly everyone else favored the Scotsman. This move to welterweight presents a different obstacle.
“I think the weight and the timing of the fight favors Rolly. I think that Rolly is going to be riding high, and I think he’s going to fight a disciplined fight. I like him to squeak out a decision,” said Edwards.
Becoming the cleaner boxer is unnecessary for Romero. He only needs to remain patient, use his jab, and force the smaller Lopez to deal with genuine welterweight strength for 12 rounds.
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