Rolly Romero opens up on 'dark place' before Ryan Garcia upset, says boxing 'almost tore me apart'
WBA welterweight champion Rolando 'Rolly' Romero discusses his mental health struggles and the difficulty of preparing to fight his friend, Teofimo Lopez Jr. The two boxers are scheduled to face off in a pay-per-view event in Las Vegas.
Why it matters
The story highlights the personal and psychological pressures faced by professional athletes in high-stakes combat sports.
Rolando "Rolly" Romero cringes at the thought. The 30-year-old WBA welterweight world champion won his belt when he did something many thought he was incapable of, upsetting Ryan Garcia in May 2025 . Romero has not fought since then, and was waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a chance to defend the WBA title.
Now, he finds himself "stuck," like anyone would feel when tasked with fighting a friend, as Romero is with former two-division champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. The pair of eccentric boxing personalities will clash Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on a PBC pay-per-view broadcast (8 p.m. ET).
Only the colorful banter that usually engulfs one of their fights will be missing this time.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in